Harry Potter and the Order of the Vampire
by NamelesslyNightlock
Summary: The Cullens are surprised when a strange man comes and asks them to join a certain Order, enroll in a certain school and help protect a certain boy! The Cullens are in Hogwarts! Post BD, during OoTP. Canon couples.
1. The Man From The Fireplace

**Hello again! I know this has been done soooo many times, but it sounds fun to write and I wanted a go! **

**This whole story will be done in Bella POV, just so you know, but all the other characters will be in it to, of course; Harry, Ron, Hermione, Edward, Alice, etc. **

**Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight, nor do I own Harry Potter.**

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><p><strong>Chapter One<strong>

The Man From The Fireplace

It was a normal day for us.

We were all sitting in the living room, enjoying the days before we would have to go back to school. There were still several weeks before the summer holidays were over, but you know what they say; time flies when you're looking forward to something unpleasant. Especially when you're immortal.

Emmett was, as usual, being his childish self. He was playing Grand Theft Auto on his X-box against Jasper, and Jasper was winning by a rather long way. Suffice to say there was a lot of swearing and yelling on Emmett's part.

Alice and Rosalie were cheering the boys on, laughing as Emmett decided that all was lost, dropped his controller and tackled Jasper to the ground with his bare hands.

Nessie and Jake were playing a game of poker in the corner. Emmett had wanted to teach Ness how to play poker for years, but she hadn't wanted to, saying that Emmett and his gambling tendencies were 'silly.'

I don't think Rose had ever been prouder than in that moment.

Lately, however, Ness had decided that she wanted to be able to play so that she _could_ bet against Emmett – although, as her main motivation was so she could humiliate her Uncle, no one had any objections.

Esme was going over a couple of plans for a house she wanted to build, while Carlisle was skimming over a book on some brand-new medical theory about something-or-other. I had yet to take medical school, and so medical speech was like gibberish to me, despite the new powers of understanding that being a vampire had given me.

Edward and I were merely curled up together on an armchair, enjoying each other's presence.

Yeah, it was a normal day for us.

Until Alice gasped, her eyes blank as she received a vision, and Edward froze underneath me.

"What?" asked Emmett, looking up from where he and Jasper were still rolling around on the floor. "What did you see?"

"That's amazing," whispered Edward. "I didn't even know they existed!"

"_What?_"

"Carlisle," said Alice, "We're going to be having a visitor tomorrow morning, so we can't go to school. He's… different."

"Different how?" growled Emmett, now seriously annoyed for being left out of the loop. I couldn't blame him.

"He's magical," said Edward, the same time as Alice said;

"He's a wizard."

"A wizard?" asked Rosalie. "But that's-"

"Don't say impossible," said Jake, rolling his eyes. "In case you haven't noticed, we kind of _live_ in the impossible."

"Shut up _mutt_," growled Rose, "Nobody asked you."

"Rose!" said Esme. "He's a part of this family too!"

"Yeah, well I don't see-"

"Calm down, please!" said Carlisle, glancing at Jasper. He nodded, and a wave of peacefulness filled the room. "Why don't we let Alice tell us what is happening?"

With a huff, Rose sat back down on the sofa, then everyone turned their gaze to Alice.

"Well," she said, "I'll try and explain the best I can, but I didn't see much. What I saw was that there is some sort of war going on in England, between good wizards and an evil one, only most of the wizards don't believe the evil one has 'returned', which means he was probably gone for some time. So, the ones that do believe and want to fight have formed a group called the 'Order of the Phoenix.' Also, there is a boy – he's fourteen at the moment – who the evil wizard wants to kill. I think he almost did a couple of weeks ago. That's when he came back. This boy, he's important somehow, though I'm not sure why. The Order are trying to protect him… a man from the Order is going to come to the house tomorrow to try and convince us to help."

"What." Stated Rosalie.

"Why does he want our help?" I asked. "How does he even know about us if all of this is happening so far away? _Does_ he even know about us?"

"He met Carlisle a few decades ago," said Edward, "Before I was changed. I recognize the face in your head, Alice, Carlisle thought of him once."

"Who?" asked Carlisle, intrigued.

"Do you know a man called Professor Dumbledore?"

Carlisle froze.

"Dumbledore?"

"Yes."

"I only met him once, long ago… he seemed to know what I was. I was out hunting one day, in Scotland. An old man was in the forest. He told me not to hunt there, and then disappeared. A few days later, I saw him again, but this time in a village I stumbled across. It was a strange place; there was no sign of cars or electricity… One person saw me and shot a streak of light at me, but it didn't do anything, That person ran away, and I didn't bother to follow. The man I saw in the forest, who told me his name was Dumbledore, was curious about that for some reason. We chatted for a bit, and then left. I didn't think anything of it after that."

"So, you think this is the man that will be visiting us?" asked Jasper.

"I think so," nodded Edward.

"But why does he want our help?" I asked again. "Surely, if they really are wizards, they don't need help from a bunch of vampires?"

"The streak of light," whispered Alice.

"I'm sorry, what?" asked Jacob as politely as he could.

"The streak of light that man sent at you, Carlisle, what of that was magic? You said you couldn't feel it – what of magic doesn't affect us? If that is the case, we could win this war for them in a matter of seconds!"

Everyone was stunned into silence for a second.

"I still don't think we should go," said Rose. "I don't want to leave here. Why should we leave America to go and help a group of wizards on the other side of the ocean?"

"People are dying, Rose!" said Alice.

"People die every day."

"Rosalie!" cried Esme.

"Wow, Blondie, I knew you were cold, but that cold?" Muttered Jake, but of course we all heard him.

"Stop," said a small voice. I looked over to my daughter.

It had been several years since her birth, and she'd stopped aging about ten years ago. She had the physical appearance of a eighteen year old – which was rather amusing, considering she looked older than her own father – and we had allowed her and Jake to be together the moment she was fully grown, after much begging and compromising.

At the sound of her voice, everyone did as she asked – stopped arguing and turned to look at her.

"I don't like it when you talk like this, Aunt Rosie," she said. "We should be wanting to help these people! From what it sounds like, this boy is in grave danger. Didn't you hear what Aunt Alice said? Magic may not affect us! We can test that out when we get there, and if it is any danger to us, we can come back here. We can help this boy! I don't know about you, but I'm getting bored living like this all the time, and I'm only seventeen! Emmett, weren't you saying only the other day that you wished there was more excitement in our lives, like when Mom was still human? And Rose, didn't you agree with him? Jazz, you _said_ you actually enjoyed it when the newborns were here – don't deny it – I know you hate the violence, but from what Alice said, this man deserves it! It'll give you time to strategize again? Come on guys, you know this will be good for us!"

And then, Nessie said something that changed everybody's mood on the subject.

"And you never know. We might get to learn how to use magic ourselves if we agree to help."

And just like that, we were going.

xXx

"Five minutes."

We were still in the living room, staring at the fireplace. I thought Alice was a little mad when she explained how the man would be arriving, but I have learnt not to bet against Alice. She always gets her way.

"Four minutes."

It was four minutes to nine in the morning. Apparently, the man that was coming liked to be punctual and arrive exactly on the hour.

We were in almost the same positions as we had been the previous night – Edward and I together on the armchair, Rosalie, Emmett, Jasper and Alice on the love seat, Esme and Carlisle on chairs. The only difference was that Renesmee was on another armchair, and Jake was on the floor.

"Three minutes."

"We know, Alice!" said Emmett. "We can count!"

"Well, I'm sorry, I just like to feel useful!" she snapped back. "I can see when he arrives because all he has to do is step out of the fireplace, but after that, Jacob must end up joining the conversation because I can't see a thing!"

Alice had become rather good at seeing _around_ Jacob, but when he was directly involved there was no way to help her see.

"Two minutes," muttered Emmett before Alice could. She glared at him.

"So, what does he want again?" asked Jake.

"He's going to ask us to help protect that boy," said Edward.

"What's his name?" I asked suddenly.

"Prof-"

"No, I mean the boy."

"I don't know," said Edward. "You'll have to ask him." He jerked his head towards the fireplace.

"One minute," sang Alice, jumping away as Emmett swatted at her with his large hand.

"Alice, I swear if you-"

"Thirty seconds!"

"Alice-"

"Leave Alice alone!" scowled Jasper.

"Twenty."

"Or what?"

"Fifteen."

"Or I'll grab you by the-"

"Ten, nine, eight,"

"Alice, please stop!"

"Five, four, three, two-"

Emmett lunged across the room, reaching for Alice as she stopped her countdown and jumped out of the way. Jasper hopped up and grabbed Emmett, who was running towards Alice again, and they ended up, once again, rolling around on the floor.

This had all lasted less that a second.

I jumped up and went towards them, trying to pull them apart before the visitor arrived, hoping against hope that Alice was a couple of seconds early, but, as I mentioned before, the chance of Alice being wrong was-

"Well, what do we have here?"

- highly unlikely.

All of us froze and looked back towards the fireplace we had all been watching up until a couple of seconds ago.

Standing in front of it was the single most strangest man I'd ever seen, and I'd seen some pretty strange people.

He was wearing what could only be described robes, in a color of deep purple. He wore a pointed hat in the same shade, and half moon spectacles shone over his twinkling blue eyes. He also had a rather long, white beard.

However, no matter how strange he looked to us, I figured the scene he had stumbled across was probably more strange to him – it's not everyday you see three teenage vampires standing in front of you with expressions of shock and guilt etched across their faces, each frozen in position, looking like they were attacking each other, with a fourth trying to separate them.

Then, predictably, Jacob began to laugh.

The sound was so sudden, however, that all of our heads whipped around to him. He was literally rolling around on the floor, holding his stomach.

"Well, that's not something you see everyday," he said after a couple of seconds, finally regaining his composure.

I growled at him, then made my way back to Edward. Jasper and Emmett stood up sheepishly, followed by a glaring Alice.

The strange man – Professor Dumbledore – broke the silence.

"Am I safe to assume that my visit came as a surprise?"

"No, it didn't," said Carlisle, getting to his feet and walking towards the professor. "I'm afraid the children simply had a bit of a disagreement seconds before you made your entrance. I'm Carlisle, by the way," he held out his hand, "Carlisle Cullen."

"Nice to meet you, Dr. Cullen. I'm not sure if you remember, but a few decades ago-"

"I do remember," said Carlisle, "I have a good memory."

The rest of us snickered.

"Then you remember what I am?"

"Yes. And you remember what I am?"

"Indeed. Although, it would seem your family had grown rather a lot since we first met."

"Yes," said Carlisle, then he began to introduce us, pointing to each of us as he went along. "This is Edward and his Bella, Alice and her mate Jasper, Emmett and Rose, Renesmee – Bella and Edward's daughter – and my wife Esme. Then this is Jacob Black, he's a werewolf."

"Really?" asked Dumbledore, curiosity blazing in his eyes. "But I thought the full moon was only a few nights ago – how is it that you look so well?"

"I do not need the full moon to transform, sir," said Jake. "I can control myself."

"Not like that," said Edward suddenly, looking at Dumbledore. The old professor seemed slightly taken aback. "Not like those… Animagi, did you call them? Jake's condition is genetic, he was born with it, and it is hard for him to control himself when he is upset."

"Hey!" said Jake. "I've gotten better!"

"Interesting…" muttered Dumbledore, looking carefully at Edward. "Very interesting. And I take it you are skilled in Legilimency?"

"He's skilled in what?" I asked. "Legilimency, what is that?"

"I'm not," said Edward simply. Then he turned to me. "It is when wizards can look into people's minds."

"But, isn't that what you do?" I asked, confused.

"No, it isn't. I read a person's mind; Legilimency is more basic, and it's more forced, if that makes sense. And while I read everything, there is a way to fight Legilimency, and you can make the person read only what they want you to. I see everything; a Legilimens sees only that which is at the forefront of the mind, or what they force the victim to see."

"Oh," I said.

"So, you're a mind reader," said Dumbledore. "What about the rest of you?"

Jake opened his mouth to speak, but Carlisle silenced him with a look.

"Why is it that you are here?" asked Rosalie in a cold tone.

Dumbledore looked at her searchingly, almost as of he were x-raying her with his piercing eyes, then started to tell us what was going on.

He said pretty much what Alice told us; that there was an evil wizard named Voldemort, and that he was trying to take over the world. The only person who had a chance at stopping him was Harry Potter. He also explained Harry Potter's story, about his parents, and about his previous years at Dumbledore's school, Hogwarts.

"What I want to ask of you," said Dumbledore, "Is merely help. I do not expect you to risk your lives for us, but this could effect you too. Voldemort is recruiting dark creatures such as giants, dementors and werewolves – real werewolves," he added, seeing the look on Jake's face, "- and it is only a matter of time before he looks for vampires. Most of the vampires in our world are different from you, however."

"They were fake," said Edward. The look on his face told me he was looking into Dumbledore's mind. "The vampires you have seen, they were not really vampires. Just wizards pretending and drinking blood."

"Be that as it may," continued Dumbledore, "It would still affect everyone if Voldemort were to take over. All I ask is that you come to my school and watch over Harry Potter, and keep an eye out for all the happenings there. I need people to mingle with the students, but I can't ask a student to do it, and have no one in the order that could pass as a student and not be recognized. You could, and technically you're old enough to be in the order, as you're all over seventeen. Both physically and chronologically, I believe."

We all nodded at him.

"Hang on a second," said Rose. Her tone was cold, but Jasper was looking at her in confusion. "Are you saying we will have to go back to school?"

"If you agree to help, yes. It is your choice, of course."

"This Hogwarts school?"

"Yes."

"A school of _magic_?"

Now I understood Jasper's confusion as I heard the excitement leaking into Rose's words. She was not often excited.

"Yes."

"Can we learn how?"

"I should think so. You are, after all, magical beings. You should be able to use magic, and to fit in at the school you will have to."

"Right, are we going to put this to a vote?" she asked, looking at Carlisle. He nodded.

"Okay, everyone who wants to go…"

Everyone raised there hand, with Renesmee raising her the highest; she seemed to be jumping up and down on her seat with excitement, and Alice was not much better.

"Brilliant," said Dumbledore. "We shall leave immediately.

"Now hang on a minute," said Alice, crossing her arms. Dumbledore looked at her with amusement on his face. "We can't leave now. I haven't packed! We have to go shopping; I need to buy more clothes for wherever we're going! I have to get Bella a whole new wardrobe, and Jacob! If you think you're going to go to another country and represent our family without owning a shirt you are really thinking-"

"Alice," interrupted Edward.

"What?"

"Do you know where we're going?"

Alice frowned and looked into the future to see their destination. Then, everyone was forced to cover their ears to protect their hearing as a high-pitched squeal ran through the house.

"Well, what are we waiting for? Lets go, let's go let's go!"

"Why the sudden change in attitude?" winced Jake, rubbing his temples.

"London!" Alice squealed. "Oxford Street, here I come!"

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><p><strong>Okay, so I know a lot of it didn't make sense, but lets face it; what crossover does? It gets better, promise.<strong>

**Review? Please? I do like to know what you think of it...**


	2. Shopping!

**Before I do anything, I would just like to say thanks to everyone that has read this story so far... It has gotten the most favorites and Alerts that any other one of stories got on their first chapters. And also thanks to those wonderful people who reviewed!**

**Disclaimer: I still don't own it. I know, so sad. -_sniffle_-  
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><p><strong>Chapter 2<strong>

Shopping!

"We have to _what_?" asked Jake, horrified, while Alice bounced around, the personification of happiness to the extreme.

Not long after Alice's previous outburst, Dumbledore had made us all hold onto this old kettle – he called it a portkey – which sort of teleported us to an old bar called the Leaky Cauldron. That is where we were at the moment, and Dumbledore was explaining what we would have to do.

"Shopping, dog," said Rosalie slowly, as if she were talking to an infant. "Shopping."

"Shopping? With _that_?" Jake gestured to the overly excited Alice. "I made that mistake once before, and she had me in Seattle for _nine hours_! And that was normal shopping! What do you think she'll do in a street full of magical shops?"

"Don't worry Jake," I snickered, "I'll protect you."

"You better," muttered Jake, at which Emmett roared with laughter, commenting on how he needed a girl to protect him from the pixie.

"Anyway," said Dumbledore, "your supply lists are all in the envelopes I have given you, and for money you will need to go to Gringotts bank and exchange. I am sure you can set up an account if you need to."

"I think we will do that," said Carlisle nodding. "Is there anything we need to get besides what is on the lists? Those are just from the school, right?"

"Yes. You and Esme will need everyday robes, as you shall be working at the school. The children will need Muggle clothes, as you didn't bring any from America-" Dumbledore ignored Alice's excited squeal and continued to talk "-but I think that is it. You will also need to give this note to Ollivander, the wandmaker, when you go into his shop. I don't think you will be needing anything else."

Dumbledore handed yet another envelope to Carlisle.

"Thank you, Dumbledore."

"No, thank you. You are the ones that dropped everything to come and help us."

"What do we do when we are finished shopping?"

"I have-"

"There will be someone from the Order waiting to pick us up here at five o'clock tomorrow evening," said Alice. "Due to time differences, it is about five o'clock right now, so all the shops will be starting to close. We will have to shop tomorrow." Her lips fell into a pout. Then she brightened up again. "However, it should be okay, because it is overcast tomorrow despite it being summer."

"How-" started Dumbledore, but Edward interrupted.

"She has a gift as well, like me," he said. "But instead of mindreading, Alice can see the future, so she knows what you have been planning."

"That could be very useful indeed," said Dumbledore, an intrigued expression on his face. "But I shall talk to you tomorrow when you reach Order Headquarters."

"Where is that, professor?" asked Alice. "I can't see them."

"Ah, that, my dear, is because I have not told you where it is."

"But-"

"It's a charm, Alice," muttered Edward, "One that stops anyone from finding the house unless they have been told."

"Oh."

"That's really clever," mused Jasper. "Only, couldn't you just ask anyone where it is?"

"Only one person can divulge the information," said Dumbledore. "Well then, I believe I shall be seeing you tomorrow." Then, he flourished his cloak and moved towards the exit. Before he went through the door, however, he paused, and whispered quietly so that only the vampires could hear: "The Headquarters of the Order of the Phoenix are located at number 12, Grimmauld Place, London."

Then he was gone.

xXx

"So, what did you say we have to do again?"

"We have to go through the brick wall, Emmett."

"Oh, that should be easy. Step out of the way, scrawny one, and let me do the honors."

"No Emmett, don't break the wall down! We have to get the barman to let us in by tapping the wall with his wand!"

"Oooh. What's his name?"

"Tom."

"Tom! Oi, Tom!"

"Emmett, shut up!"

"Edward!"

"Sorry Mom."

"He's right though, dear, go ask him nicely."

"Fine."

Emmett stalked back into the bar and returned a few moments later with an old man who was missing several teeth.

We had all spent the night running around London sightseeing, while Alice and Rose went shopping. I must say, watching Emmett trying to provoke one of the royal guards at Buckingham Palace at one o'clock in the morning is one of the funniest things I've ever seen – he would have gotten us arrested if it weren't for Renesmee's good looks and charm. Edward was livid.

"All you have to do," said Tom, raising his wand to the wall, "is tap the right bricks, and the wall will move out of the way, allowing you to enter."

"Which bricks?" asked Ness.

"Three up and two across," muttered Tom as he tapped the wall.

To everyone's amazement, the bricks began to move, sliding out of the way until there was an archway where the wall had been.

"Wow," said Ness, grinning, as she looked down the street.

I thought 'wow' just about covered it.

The street was cobbled, and was lined with many different and strange types of shops.

The people in the street were bustling around happily, comparing prices and chatting with friends. Most of them were wearing wizard robes, although there were a few people, mainly kids and teenagers, who were wearing normal clothes.

"I think we need to go to the bank first," said Carlisle. "Now, I want everyone to stick together please. We will go to the bank, then get wands, and then after that we can split up, alright?"

We all nodded, and Carlisle led us down the street to where Tom had told us the Bank would be.

I could tell that everyone – even Rose – was bursting with excitement. I didn't need Jasper's gift to know that. Alice and Ness were bouncing up and down again – Alice seemed to be using all her self control to not go into the shops and buy madly – and Jasper was grinning like a mad man, although that might have had something to do with Alice's mood. Emmett and Jake were yapping away about how they couldn't wait to learn magic and get back home so they could prank Seth, and Esme's eyes were shinning as she glanced around.

"What do you think of all this, love?" asked Edward.

"It's… it's… I don't know," I said. Edward chuckled, seeming to understand what I meant.

"Yes, it is all a bit bizarre, isn't it?"

"A bit?"

"Well, okay. A strange old man shows up in our living room and tells us that we have to enroll in a magical school on the other side of the world and protect a teenaged boy from the most evil wizard of all time… yes, just a bit."

I laughed as we walked through the large doors of the bank, earning several looks from the creatures sitting behind the counters.

Whoa, hang on a sec. What _are _those things?

I asked Edward the same question with my shield lowered, not sure how good their hearing capabilities were.

"Goblins," muttered Edward quietly. "From the thoughts of the humans in here, I'd say we'd have to be careful with them. They seem quite hostile."

"Hello, my name is Carlisle Cullen," said Carlisle, approaching one of the Goblins behind a counter. The Goblin didn't say anything, and merely stared at him. "I was wondering if we could exchange some money. We have just come from America, and only have American Muggle money."

The Goblin nodded.

"Do you have a vault?"

"No, but we would like to, er, open one."

I didn't think I'd ever seen Carlisle so unsure of what to say before, but I was sure he was doing much better than I would have done if I were in his position.

"Name."

"Carlisle-"

"Family name only."

"Cullen."

"Amount you wish to place in the vault?"

Carlisle pursed his lips, then turned to Alice and held his hand out. Alice grinned and handed him the large bag she was carrying with her. Carlisle placed it in front of the Goblin.

"We are not sure what the exchange rate is, but we would like to exchange all of this, and then put half of it into a vault.

The Goblin looked into the bag, then nodded, and snapped his fingers.

Another goblin appeared and they began to converse in another language – which I could only assume was goblin – before the bag was handed over. Then, yet another Goblin came running up with an even larger bag over his shoulder.

"How much did Carlisle give the goblin?" I asked Edward quietly.

"A lot," was his only answer. I rolled my eyes, deciding that I didn't really want to know, especially seeing as Edward had used the words 'a lot' to describe an amount of money – Edward, who used Porches as bribes.

Not long after that, we were all standing outside of the bank, our pockets full of large gold galleons, silver sickles and small bronze knuts.

"Now, wands," said Esme, and we all marched towards a shop called 'Ollivander's'.

When we entered, the shop seemed empty, but an old man crept forward.

"Who are you?" he asked. "Hogwarts students do not normally come this early… and you look strange. I think I have-"

"Mr. Ollivander," interrupted Edward, "Professor Dumbledore has given us a note for you to read."

At the mention of Dumbledore, Ollivander seemed to relax a little bit, and then a lot more after he had read the note from Dumbledore which, according to Edward, stated that we were foreigners that had come to help the fight against Voldemort and help Harry Potter.

"I suppose you need wands then," he said.

"Well yeah," muttered Jake. "Honestly, what else would we have come to a _wand shop_ for? Cream pies?"

Luckily, the old man didn't hear him.

"I'll need each of you to try out different wands… and I'll need you all to be measured. So, come on then, one at a time…"

After about two hours – it took a long time for the ten of us to all find suitable wands – we all walked out of the store, each holding our own wand.

"We should split up now," said Jasper, "We have an awful lot to buy."

"Yes, that is true," said Esme. "Alice, Jasper, you go get us all clothes; Edward, Bella, you go find books; Rose, Emmett: cauldrons, potions ingredients, phials and scales; Nessie and Jake, you guys find telescopes."

"What about you?" asked Emmett.

"We'll get our own robes," said Esme, sending a look at Alice, who pouted. "And trunks for each of us."

"Once you have bought what you need, you may do as you wish. We'll meet outside the bank in three hours, got it?" said Carlisle.

"Okay!" yelled Alice, and was gone before I had the chance to look at her.

"And don't forget to act human!" muttered Jasper, rolling his eyes and walking off in the direction Alice had gone.

"See you later Mom!" called Nessie as she walked off with Jake.

"Be careful!"

"Sure, Mom."

"So, where do you think the bookshop is?" I asked Edward.

"No idea. Let's just wander for a bit before we find it, alright?"

"Sounds good to me."

As we wandered down the cluttered street, I was forced to rely on Edward's arm around my waist to guide me in the right direction, for I could not rip my eyes away from the multitude of shops. Even though we had walked through the whole Alley to reach the bank, and I could remember everything I had seen before – which was a lot, thanks to my vampiric senses – even more seemed to pop out at me.

There was a shop that sold supplies for some sport called Quidditch, which had a seemingly permanent huddle of children around the window, staring at a shiny broomstick on display. There was a shop full of owls, another that looked like a joke-shop from which strange noises were emitting, an ice-cream shop and-

"Edward, over there - spell books!"

The shop was called Flourish and Blotts, and had tons upon tons of spell books. Every wall and almost every space was crammed full of bookshelves, and the books that did not fit were in piles.

"Hello there, how can I help you?" asked the sales man when we walked in.

"Well," said Edward as he pulled out the eight lists from his pocket, "Let's see… We need eight copies of _A Standard Book of Spells, Grade 5_, By Miranda Goshawk, eight copies of _A History of Magic_, by Bathilda Bagshot, eight copies of _Magical Theory_, by Adalbert Waffling, eight copies of _Intermediate Transfiguration, _by Emeric Switch, eight copies of _One Thousand Magical Herbs and Fungi_ by Phyllida Spore, eight copies of _Magical Drafts and Potions, _by Arsenius Jigger, eight copies of Defensive Magical Theory by Wilbert Slinkhard, four copies of _Unfogging the Future_ by Cassandra Vablatsky, three copies of _Numerology and Grammatica_, by Poly Nomalism, two copies of _The Lives of Muggles_, by Felix Cited, three copies of _Spellman's Syllabry, _by Ima Spellman, and five copies of _The Monster Book of Monsters_, by Don Keigh."

The sales man stared at him for a moment with his mouth hanging open.

"Er, how about you just hand me those lists, and I'll just, er, get those for you, alright?"

Edward smirked and handed over the papers.

"Why do you have all the lists?" I asked. "Surely the others need them too?"

"No," Edward whispered back, "They all memorized theirs, but Alice saw this happening. It would have taken forever for him to find all of our books otherwise."

I glanced over to the salesman, who was studying the lists while waving his wand, books flying towards him from all over the shop.

"They're lucky I've got this all in stock…" he was muttering. "Normally wouldn't have it yet, and with the amount they're buying… must be a large family… seems like they're going into fifth year, but why are they buying books they should already have?"

"He sounds confused," I commented.

"He is," chuckled Edward.

"Ah, here we are," said the salesman. When I turned to look at him again, he was obscured from view, due to the seventy-three books piled onto the counter. "You've got quite the haul here," he said.

"Big family," I said, confirming his suspicions. He nodded with a sympathetic look on his face.

"How much?" asked Edward.

The man's face grew more sympathetic, but it looked forced; I could see the glee under the sympathy as he told Edward the figure.

I think the man was a little suspicious when we walked out of the shop holding all those bags without a sweat, but according to Edward he just thought we must have cast a weightlessness spell on it while he wasn't looking. He didn't consider the fact that we were supposedly going into fifth year, and so shouldn't have been doing magic outside of school.

"What shall we do now?" I asked as we stood outside once again.

Edward closed his eyes for a moment.

"Alice is still lecturing the woman in the Robe shop about how much more fashionable Muggle clothes are, while Jasper is trying to hide in the corner, Rose is buying cauldrons while Emmett is clearing up a box full of beetle eyes he knocked over, Jake and Ness are still looking at telescopes and Carlisle and Esme are chatting in the Leaky Cauldron."

"Do you want to go and talk with them?"

"Not particularly," Edward flashed my favorite crooked smile, "Let's just walk for a bit. Something tells me we're not going to be away from them again for a while… although, I guess we could just go and drop all these books off. We're getting a couple of strange looks."

After leaving the books in the room Esme had booked for just this purpose, we were back in Diagon Alley, enjoying ourselves.

First, we decided to go into Quality Quidditch supplies, and, by looking through a couple of magazines, were able to understand the basics of the game. I couldn't wait to get to Hogwarts so I could watch one.

I caused a bit of a pandemonium in Eyelops Owl Emporium when I went in to investigate – all the owls reacted a little badly to having a vampire in their midst, and a couple managed to escape their cages. Edward was in hysterics by the time I was chased out by a very confused and apologetic shop owner.

Nessie and Jake were in the bookshop when we returned to find something for light reading, along with Jasper who had escaped Hurricane Alice. Jake was looking extremely bored, but brightened up when Edward got yelled at for 'almost knocking over an expensive display of the _Disguised book of Disguises_'.

We met up with Emmett and an irritated looking Rose in Gambol and Japes Wizarding Joke shop, which is probably the best shop I'd ever been in. Edward had to convince me not to buy anything, saying that he was sure we would have no need of pranking goods; at least not until we learnt a bit more magic.

"This is so cool," said Ness.

We were sitting outside Florean Fortescue's Ice-cream parlor with the two members of the family who actually ate; Jake was stuffing down an extra large chocolate sundae, topped with chocolate-mint sauce, choc-chips, sprinkles, a cherry and a wafer, while Nessie was eating a simple vanilla sundae.

"I know," I said, watching Jake in disgust as he shoveled ice-cream down his throat. "It's all so…"

"What?" said a voice behind me. "Magical? My dear little sis, I applaud you for your creativeness!"

"Shut up, Em," I growled, slapping his arm as he sat next to me. "It is magical!"

"I know. Never said it wasn't."

"Leave me alone."

"You know, I really think I should tutor you in the art of good comebacks-"

"Oh, leave her alone," growled Rose, pulling up a chair next to Ness.

My relationship with Rose had gotten along splendidly over the past couple of years since Renesmee was born; we had been united – Edward, Rose and I – over almost everything whilst raising her, and, as we were forced to be civil while Ness was around, actually grew to like each other. Rose was nice when you got to know her – she just doesn't show it most of the time.

"Hey, I thought you were supposed to be on my side!" whined Emmett, pouting.

"Well, you thought wrong."

"What's wrong, Aunt Rosie?" asked Ness.

"That big idiot has just been getting on my nerves all day. Knocking over those beetle eyes, and then 'accidentally breaking' that insulting wristwatch in the joke shop which of course meant he _had_ to buy it…"

"How can a wristwatch be insulting?" I asked. Edward chuckled.

"It is!" exclaimed Rose. "It told me my hair looked like a dirty dishcloth wrapped around a quaffle!"

I froze as a horrible noise started to erupt from Jacob's chest, then chuckled as I realized what had happened.

Many of my human memories had faded – normal, everyday ones anyway, I could remember pretty much everything since when I first came to Forks – but even I knew that laughing hysterically and eating ice-cream at the same time was never a good idea.

Nessie patted him on the back, the after a while he managed to gasp out:

"As true as that is, Blondie… you don't think that… maybe… all that time fixing cars and smelling petrol fumes has gotten to your head?"

"I'm serious!" growled Rose, sending an icy glare at Jake, "Look at it!"

We all turned our attention to the small brown watch that adorned Emmett's wrist.

"Er, Rose, it isn't doing anything," I whispered.

"Just wait," she snarled. "Mutt, talk to the damn thing."

"Erm, hello mister wristwatch?"

"_Don't talk to me you dim-witted, good for nothing oaf!_"

"Well, It's not as creative as I had hoped it would be…" muttered Emmett, looking at the watch sadly. Then he perked up. "But it's still bloody brilliant!"

"Emmett!" I scolded. "Language!"

"Sorry _Mom_."

But it wasn't Emmett's reply that had my teeth on edge.

"_Why, aren't you the bossy one? You won't get along in life with an attitude like _that_, now will you?_"

"Still not very creative," snickered Jake.

"I know," moaned Em.

I looked at Rose, catching her eye. When she was looking at me, I looked to the watch, then to Edward, then back to her. She grinned, so I figured she got the message. I dropped my shield, and told Edward what I wanted him to do, then asked him if Rose got it right.

He nodded.

I grinned.

He lunged.

"Hey!"

Several people looked our way at Emmett's outburst, forcing Edward and Emmett to move at human pace, which was to Edward's advantage, as it meant Emmett could not act on instinct. Emmett was stronger though, so when Edward had him pinned, I grabbed one side while Edward held down the other.

"Rose," I called. "Would you like to do the honors?"

"Sure," she said in the most pleasant voice I had heard her use since before we were in the bank.

"_Oh, it's the quaffle-face again. You're eyes are the colour of dog's business, and when was the last time your brushed your teeth?"_

"Pathetic," I heard Jake whisper.

"I'll give you dog's business," muttered Rose, pulling the watch off Emmett's wrist.

"_Get off you horse-faced bit-_"

The watch cut off with a soft crunching noise as Rose crushed it in her fist.

"Aww, Rosie," whined Emmett. "It was actually going to insult you good that time!"

"_What_?" screeched Rose.

I grabbed Edward's had and dragged him away before it got any worse. Emmett was sure in trouble now.

"How much longer do we have left?" I asked.

"Not long," he said, still laughing at Emmett's predicament. "By the way, Alice is-"

"Did I miss it? Oh, please don't say I missed it? I did didn't I? Wait-" Alice held up her finger and closed her eyes as her expression went blank. Then she turned back into her hyperactive self. "I only missed half! See you in a bit!"

Then she disappeared into the crowd once more.

"Watch out!" said Edward, grabbing my arm and pulling me backwards. My eyes widened as I took in the several large, bulging shopping bags that were floating through the crowd after my sister.

"That.. that wasn't all ours was it?" I asked.

"Alice will be Alice," he said with a shrug.

"What was she talking about?"

"She saw what was happening with the watch and want to watch the show… she was annoyed she missed us getting him, but apparently there's a rather large crowd back there watching the big strong man getting beaten up by a blonde girl."

I sighed.

"Of course there is."

About a quarter of an hour later, we were all standing in the Leaky Cauldron, each holding several bags.

"Any idea who's coming?" Jake asked Alice.

"He's a bit… odd…" muttered Alice. "Strangest guy I've ever seen. Scary, almost. His eyes are…" she didn't finish the sentence.

"You can't really explain it," sighed Edward. "Just wait, he'll be here in two minutes."

"One minute forty-eight seconds," corrected Alice.

"Show off," muttered Emmett.

What I can only assume was exactly one minute and forty eight seconds later, a man walked towards us, and he was, as Alice had said, the strangest guy I'd ever seen, including Dumbledore. He had scars all over his face, and it looked like a bit of his nose had been blown off. He had one wooden leg, so that he clumped when he walked, and his mouth was turned down in a permanent scowl – much like Emily, Sam Uley's fiancée – well, wife now.

But that wasn't all.

The strangest thing about this man was his eyes; one was a normal, dark brown, but the other was larger, rounder, startling blue in colour, and was continuously flicking around the room, as if searching for danger.

"Alastor Moody," he growled. "But you can call me-"

"Mad-eye," muttered Alice. "Everybody does." Then she quickly clapped a hand over her mouth.

"Oh my god, I am sooo sorry," she said quickly. "I'm sorry, I'm just so used to-"

"It's quite alright," he said, although his voice wasn't kind. "That is a much better welcoming than what one might expect from a bunch of vampires."

"Truer words have never been spoken," muttered Jake, but he quieted as soon as Mad-eye looked at him.

"Now, we'll be traveling to Headquarters through use of portkey. Albus tells me you have all used one before, so I'll just get straight to it. Keep a hold onto your bags. Now lets go!"

He held out what looked like a postcard, and we all grabbed hold, each with a trunk and many bags in our other hand.

"And in three… two… one…"

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><p><strong>And they're off! Sirius Black, here we come! Oooh, looking forward to writing it!<strong>

**By the way, sorry if that was a little lacking, it's just I know everyone knows what Diagon Alley is like, and I'm trying to get to the good stuff quicker!**

**Tell me what you think!**


	3. Learning About Magic

**All right! This story is getting along faster than I thought it would!  
><strong>

**Fair warning though: This chapter contains a couple of long speeches (mainly about Remus) and is mainly just to get some points across. The fun stuff starts in the next chapter!**

**Disclaimer: I own all of this... yeah, and I also own a pet unicorn! -sigh- Sadly, Twilight and Harry Potter IS NOT MINE... I am no where close to that good. **

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 3<strong>

Learning about Magic

"So… you're the vampires that will be looking after my godson."

"Yep, that's us! We drink blood, have cold, hard skin, no heart beat-"

"Hey Emmett, speak for yourself! I have a heartbeat, I eat normal food, have toasty warm skin-"

"And so do I! Well, apart from the eat normal food part. I mean, I can eat normal food, I just don't, so-"

"Quiet!" called Carlisle, sending a stern look at Emmett, Jake and Ness. "I would like to _try_ and make a good first impression."

Mad-eye Moody and the portkey had taken us to a grubby little house on the outskirts of London. I must say, when Dumbledore had said 'Headquarters of the Order of the Phoenix', I was thinking something a little more elaborate. But, I guess this will have to do.

The owner of the house, Sirius Black – who was also Harry Potter's godfather – had greeted us at the door and ushered us into the kitchen, before staring at us with an intensity which I thought might have burnt a hole in our cold, hard skin.

Edward had said Sirius was a great person – if not just a little bit depressed – but that he was treating us harshly at the moment out of care for Harry. He loved Harry more than anything in the world, and wasn't too keen on putting his life in the hands of a couple of bloodsucking monsters.

However, after the little banter between Em, Ness and Jake, his eyes had softened somewhat, and he looked a little amused.

"Yes dad," muttered Emmett.

"Sorry Grandpa."

"Won't happen again, Dr. Fang."

"I highly doubt it," muttered Carlisle, before turning back to Sirius. "I apologize for that."

"That's quite all right," said Sirius.

"You see, Jacob is not a vampire. He is a werewolf, only he can control when he phases. And Nessie is half human. But yes, other than that, we are all vampires."

"And you will be looking after Harry?" His serious tone had returned.

"We have not been told the details yet, but I gather that is the plan, yes."

"You'd better watch out," growled Sirius, "If any harm should befall Harry while you are around-"

"We have no intention of harming your godson," said Edward.

"But when it comes to vampires, accidents happen, do they not?"

"Yes, they do. But we have all had much practice at ignoring the scent of human blood. Carlisle, for instance, is able to work as a doctor in a hospital. And only hours after her change, Bella was able to run from the scent of a human."

Sirius didn't seem to find that bit of information that impressive, but I put it down to knowing absolutely nothing about vampires in general, let alone newborns.

"So? That's two of you, what about the rest?"

"Well, I don't drink blood at all," said Jake.

"And, being half human, I can control myself a lot easier than they can," said Ness, motioning towards us with her hands.

"The rest of us have had a lot of practice, as I said before," continued Edward. "You see, in America, we all go to Muggle high school. Also, when Bella was still human, she was with us pretty much all the time."

"And yet look where it got her," said Sirius, glaring at me.

"I _asked_ Edward to change me," I said quietly, understanding what he meant.

"Asked?"

"More like demanded," laughed Emmett.

"Yeah, she wouldn't stop begging to be changed," said Alice, also laughing.

"Oh, shut up guys, you're making me sound pathetic!"

"Well…" said Jake, stroking an imaginary beard.

"Oh, shut up," I said again - but in a different tone - slapping his arm.

"Wait, you wanted this?" asked Sirius, now looking confused. I sighed, and looked at Edward, then Alice. They both nodded. So did Carlisle.

"Well, when I was human, I fell in love with Edward. I loved him more than anything, so when I found out what he was, it didn't matter to me. Then Alice told me I could become a vampire if one of them bit me. I wanted nothing more than to be with Edward forever, to be able to stay with him for the rest of _his_ existence. You see, vampires are immortal, we do not age. If I were to stay human, I would grow older, but Edward would stay the same. I couldn't bear the thought of looking like I was his grandma. And then, he did something which made me even more adamant in my decision."

"What did he do?" asked Sirius. He was curious now.

"He tried to kill himself."

"What?"

I sighed, then continued to explain.

"You see, about six months after we got together, Edward realized that it was a bit dangerous for a human to be hanging around seven vampires. So he left me."

I felt Edward stiffen beside me, and I edged closer to him, pressing against his side. I hated these memories, wishing that they would disappear, but I knew they wouldn't. They were too big a part of me to forget.

"It was horrible for both of us. He was gone for months, and that was when Jake and I became really good friends… One day, Jake mentioned cliff diving. It sounded like fun, so I decided to try it. I almost drowned though – would have done if Jake didn't pull me out. Anyway, Alice – she can see the future, by the way – saw me jump, but because she can't see wolves, didn't see me get back out of the water, and thought I was dead. Then Edward found out, and thought I was trying to commit suicide."

Rosalie smiled at me for leaving her involvement out, and I smiled back at her as Edward wrapped his arms around me. But I kept talking – I had to finish the story, and it was easier now that I had started.

"Edward thought that I had died, so he wanted to die too.

"As a vampire, you have one mate. One mate, and that's it. If they die, it's like the world has come to an end. There's nothing left to live for…

"When Alice realized what had happened she came and got me, and then we ran after Edward and got him back. But my point is, all of this made me realize that if I were to die – and if I were human, I would have done after sixty, seventy years? – Edward would go and kill himself, and I couldn't let that happen. So I all but forced Edward to change me.

"In the end though, all that didn't matter. Because I ended up getting pregnant with Nessie, and if Edward hadn't changed me when he had, I would have died during childbirth."

"Well that's… that's some story you have there." It wasn't Sirius that spoke.

From the doorway behind Sirius' chair, a man appeared.

The moment his scent hit me, I – along with the rest of my family bar Jake, Ness and Carlisle - lowered myself into a crouch and growled.

He smelt _terrible_. Similar to Jacob, but worse – much, much worse.

I hadn't even thought that was possible.

I didn't quite register what he looked like, and the logical bit of my brain knew that he had done nothing to harm me, but every part of my body was screaming _danger! Enemy!_

It was all I could do not to attack then and there.

I did not know what he was, but I knew he wasn't human, and that there was something different about him.

"Werewolf," spat Jasper.

Well, that would explain it.

"Vampire," said the werewolf, although his tone was softer, and a little confused.

"Everyone, calm down," said Carlisle, moving to stand in front of us.

Esme straightened up, but the rest of us stayed crouched in an offensive position.

"Carlisle, that's a werewolf," snarled Rose. "Not just a mutt like the Quileutes, a real, proper werewolf!"

"Edward, does he mean us harm?" asked Carlisle.

Edward growled.

"Edward?"

"No," he spat, glaring at Carlisle. "No, he doesn't. But that doesn't alleviate the fact that he's our natural enemy."

Something about Edward's tone hit home in me. I had heard him say something similar before.

"It doesn't matter," I whispered, straightening up.

"What?" asked Rose, glancing at me in disbelief before turning back to the wolf.

"You guys thought the same thing about the Quileutes." I looked at Jake. "Edward, everyday you would tell me I couldn't go to La Push to see Jake and Quil and Embry and Emily; you'd tell me it was too dangerous. Whenever I asked you to be friends, you would tell me that you were natural, or mortal enemies. But I didn't care. And I got you to cooperate in the end."

I looked away from Jake, and focused on the man on the other side of the room.

He didn't look very old – late thirties, maybe – but his face was lined and tired. He was scrawny and his clothes were ripped and torn. He didn't seem dangerous.

"You told me the Quileutes would slip," I said, my tone still quiet. I was still watching the wolf, but directed my words at my family. "But the only one to ever slip was Paul, and that was only once. This man here, he _can't_ slip. Am I right in assuming you can only transform at the full moon?" The man nodded quickly. "Then you are safe right now. You can't hurt us."

I dodged Edward's restraining hand, and crossed the room slowly, walking towards the werewolf.

"You can't hurt us," I repeated, "And I don't think you want to. I promise I won't hurt you. I criticized Edward and Jacob for their prejudices before, and I refuse to do what they did."

The man smiled at me, and held out his hand. Sirius looked livid as he glared at my family, and I could tell that the werewolf was a friend of his. He clearly cared deeply for him if he was willing to glare at a group of hostile vampires for merely acting prejudiced.

"I'm Bella Cullen," I said, taking his hand, and noticing that it was the same temperature as a normal human's.

"Remus Lupin."

"See?" I said, turning back to my family. "Am I dead yet?"

"That was cool, Bells!" said Emmett, grinning. I noticed he was standing up, completely relaxed. "I don't think I've ever heard you say so much as you have today!"

"Leave me alone, Em."

"That transformation really didn't change you at all, did it?" grinned Jake, bounding over to Remus and I. "Nice to meet you, by the way. I'm Jacob Black, I'm a werewolf too. Well, not technically, the big boss vampire called me a shape shifter."

"Like an Animagus then?" asked Remus.

"No," I said. "At least, that's what Edward said. An Animagus is someone who has to use magic to be able to transform, right?"

"Yeah," said Remus.

"Jake's wolfiness is hereditary."

"Wolfiness?" said Jake. "Really?"

I rolled my eyes.

"Well, you seem all right," said Sirius, nodding at me. Then he looked at Remus. "But I'm not sure about the rest of them."

"Oh, that is _so_ unfair. How come she's your favorite?" asked Emmett, pouting.

"Maybe because she was the only one that actually tried being nice," muttered Nessie before joining Jake and I. "Hi. I'm Renesmee, but everyone just calls me Nessie."

"Hi Nessie," said Remus, smiling as he shook her hand.

I smiled at Remus again before walking back to Edward.

No need to overwhelm the humans – well, human and werewolf.

"How are they taking it?" I breathed to Edward, too quiet for even Alice, who was right next to him to hear.

"Remus is a little more relaxed since you went and talked to him – he trusts you. Sirius trusts you enough to not kill him, but doesn't trust the rest of us, although he seems to trust me a little more than the others – your story made them like me a little more. Remus trusts the rest of us a little less than what Sirius trusts you. They both seem comfortable with Jake, and a little with Ness."

"Well, it's much better than it could have been," I muttered.

"You did brilliantly," said Edward, kissing my forehead. "If it weren't for you, I don't know what would have happened."

I grinned.

"Switzerland."

"What, so you wouldn't pick me over them?" he asked.

I shook my head, smiling.

"I just wouldn't get involved."

"Sure…"

"So," growled Moody from the hallway, effectively ending our conversation. "The Weasleys will be arriving tomorrow, and we need to get you all sorted out before then. We need to figure out how this is all going to work."

"Yes, right," said Sirius. "First of all, you need to learn how to do magic."

He waved his wand, and several spell books flew down the hall.

"I got Molly to send these over," he said. "I know you've all bought your books for this year, but you need to catch up. How fast can you read?" He looked at me. I grinned.

"Very."

"Good. You'll all need to read these." He gestured to the books. "They are everything you need to know from first year at Hogwarts to fourth. You can read those during the night. During the day, a member of the Order will be teaching you the practical side of magic – spell casting, potion brewing, flying and the like."

"Will Carlisle and I be learning also?" asked Esme.

"Yes," said Remus. "You will be acting as teachers in Hogwarts, and so you will need to know magic also. Esme, you will be the Muggle studies teacher, so you'll only need to learn the basics, but it would be better if you could learn as much as you can."

"I'll do whatever you need me to in order to protect that young boy," said Esme determinately.

"Good," growled Moody. "When the Weasleys get here, we'll need you to try and stay out of sight of the children. Dumbledore wants them to see you for the first time on the Hogwarts Express, and so they shall. During the day, you will be going out with a member of the Order and learning magic. At night, you can come back here to read. If, however, you need to stay here during the day – say, when it is sunny-"

"Which will be the majority of the summer," said Alice.

"I'm sorry?" said Remus.

"There will only be ten overcast days from now until the first of September."

"How do you know that?" barked Sirius.

"Bella already told you," sighed Alice. "I can see the future."

"So, we'll have to stay here during the day," said Jasper. "We can't go out in the sun."

"How did you shop in Diagon Alley then?" asked Remus, raising an eyebrow.

"We can go out during the day," I explained. "Just not in the sun."

"Ah."

"Back to the topic at hand, we have a room set aside upstairs where you will stay during the day if it is sunny-"

"A room?" asked Emmett. "_A_ room? As in, one?"

"Yes. One."

"For all of us?"

"Yes."

"But-"

"Emmett!" I hissed.

"Bella!" growled Rose. Then she turned to face Sirius and Remus. "I _refuse_ to stay in a tiny, dirty room with that _mutt_ all day!"

"Hey!" exclaimed Jake. "You smell bad too!"

Rose ignored him.

"Rose!" scolded Esme. "It's the best they can do-"

"No! I reckon they think we're just creatures from horror stories who are happy to sit in a coffin all day! I _do not_ want to sit around doing nothing! And if you think I'm going to go weeks without-"

"Aunt Rosie!" wailed Ness. "There are children present!"

"Ness, you're seventeen. You really are Edward's daughter!"

"Emmett!"

"Edward!"

"Quiet!" yelled Carlisle for what felt like the hundredth time that day. "Honestly, you would think you lot are children!"

"Well, technically Edward is still a-"

"Emmett! Not another word!"

"Sorry Dad."

"_Anyway_. Is it really necessary that the children do not see us?" he asked Moody.

"Yes. Dumbledore said that the first time they see you should be on the train."

"Well then. Why don't we stay somewhere else?"

There was silence while everyone processed that idea.

"We need to be able to teach you magic," said Remus.

"Yes, and one of the wizards could go to wherever we are. We were going to go out during the day anyway, right?"

"Well, I guess…"

"You need to be here for the meetings too," cut in Sirius. Carlisle thought for a moment, but I had an idea.

"What do you do with the children during the meetings?" I asked.

"What do you mean?"

"Well, will the children participate in the meetings?"

"No, we were going to shut them in their rooms upstairs."

"Well there you go," I said. "If you shut them in their rooms before we come, and we leave before you let them out, they wouldn't see us, would they?"

"There's still a chance," said Remus, shaking his head. "You don't know Fred and George."

"I'm sure it will be fine," I said. "It's either that, or have Rose and Alice go mad from boredom and destroy the house, and that would definitely get some attention, don't you think?"

Remus sighed.

"We'll have to talk it over with Dumbledore, but I think it is a good idea. You'd be welcome to stay at my house, just so long as you stay away for the full moon."

"We couldn't do that," Esme started, but Rose cut across her.

"There is _no way_ I am living in a dog house," she snarled. "Living with the mutt is bad enough, but have you _smelt_ this one?"

"Don't take offense," said Emmett, winking at Remus. "You should have seen the way she acted when Jake first moved in. She made him a dog bowl and everything!"

"Yeah," laughed Alice, "And that was when Ness wanted her to be nice to him!"

"We'll get our own house," said Carlisle. "Some-where close."

"You'll need to be quick," said Remus. "The Weasleys arrive tomorrow morning."

"Do you have a computer?" asked Carlisle.

"A what?"

"A computer?"

The wizards looked at Carlisle strangely.

"Carlisle, they don't know what a computer is," said Edward. "They don't even use electricity."

"What!" cried Emmett. "Nooooooooo!"

xXx

Eventually, it was decided that Remus would apparate – which was sort of like teleporting – with Carlisle to the real-estate agency, and Carlisle would use massive amounts of money to buy the closest house to Headquarters of a decent size.

Luckily, there was some sort of small mansion for sale a couple of blocks away, which, after much talking, a lot of paper work, a bit of help from Jasper and what I can assume was a rather larger bribe Carlisle had managed to buy for us in less than two hours.

Moody said that he would send a couple of people over there to help him enchant it to stop Muggles – and other wizards – from approaching it, although he would not bother with the fidelius charm. It would be nowhere near as well protected as Grimmauld place, but as we would only be there for a few months, it didn't really matter anyway.

Rose was over the moon.

However, we still had to stay and practice magic until tomorrow morning when the Weasleys would get here.

When two new people came in – they were quickly introduced as Kingsley Shacklebolt and Nymphadora Tonks – Remus and Moody left with them to start enchanting the house, and we were left with Sirius.

I didn't need Jasper's or Edward's gift to be able to tell that Sirius was a little uncomfortable, even though he hid it well. The moment Remus was out the door he was all business, telling us to pull out our wands and start on a spell.

The first spell he had us try was a levitating spell. All we had to do was 'twist and flick' and say _Wingardium Leviosa_.

Apparently, it took eleven year old humans three or four lessons to get this spell. We all managed in about ten minutes… well, all the vampires. Jake got it in less than an hour, though.

Sirius said that were fast learners due to vampire nature, and that Jacob was a fast learner due to the fact that his blood was thick with the Quileute magic.

He then had us try some basic transfiguration – which, surprisingly, Jacob managed on his first try, while the rest of us took a little longer – and a basic shielding and disarming spell.

We were apparently quarter way through first year in transfiguration, charms and Defense Against the Dark Arts and had started to learn how to make a simple potion when Dumbledore showed up.

He was immensely surprised by the progress we had already made, and told us that we would no doubt be incredibly strong witches and wizards.

I wasn't sure about that. Surely there was a limit on how much we could do – we, who were only made magical by the venom that ran in our veins – as compared to those that were born with magic in their blood. Once this thing with Harry Potter is done, I'm not sure that I would want to continue being magical… we can do everything physically already as vampires, what would there be left to strive for if we are magical as well?

Dumbledore said he had already visited our new house, and approved of the plan. Apparently, Remus had sent him a message telling him of it.

The rest of the night we spent reading textbooks and talking with Sirius.

Sirius was a good man, really. He was funny and charming, but he had an underlying sadness. At first I thought it might have been because he was missing Harry, but I realized that it was more that that.

I asked Edward about it when Emmett and Rose went 'exploring', but he seemed uncomfortable. I knew he didn't like to disclose other people's secrets, but he seemed more uncomfortable than usual.

"He thinks he is the reason for everything that has gone wrong," said Edward finally.

"What?"

"I saw it when we came in… he was afraid, because his brother's son was being placed in the hands of vampires."

"He's Harry's uncle? But I thought-"

"Not by blood. He wasn't related to Harry's father. But I they must have been close… insanely close. Closer than he was to Remus, although the two of them are distanced now. He thinks that Harry's parents deaths were his fault, and therefore so is Harry's misery."

"But it wasn't, was it?"

"No. From what I can gather, their house was under a fidelius charm as well – remember when Dumbledore explained how that worked?" I nodded. "Well, Sirius was going to be secret keeper, but he thought he was the obvious choice, so told Harry's parents to switch. Unfortunately, the person they switched to betrayed them."

"So it wasn't Sirius' fault?"

"No, it wasn't. I understand where he's coming from, though, but he couldn't help it. He was only trying to protect the people that he loved most."

I looked over to where Sirius was explaining one of the laws of transfiguration to Alice. He put on a good show, but I could see the sadness in his eyes.

"Poor Sirius," I muttered. I felt the urge to go and comfort him, but I knew he wouldn't appreciate it.

"ARGH!"

Emmett appeared beside me, having sprinted down the stairs.

Edward laughed, clearly amused by whatever had just happened to him.

"What?" I asked. Everyone was looking at him now – my family with amused expressions, Sirius with a cautious one.

"There's a, a _thing_ upstairs!"

"A what?"

"It's half bird, half horse!"

Sirius began to laugh.

For the first time since we got there, he seemed happy.

Kind of.

"That would be Buckbeak!" said Sirius.

"The thing has a name?" exclaimed Emmett. "Well, at least you didn't call it Fluffy or something!"

"Buckbeak saved my life," said Sirius sternly. Then his face stretched into a smile which actually reached his eyes. "And he's actually rather nice, much better than some irritating leech."

"Yeah man!" said Jake, giving Sirius a high-five.

"Watch it," growled Emmett.

"What is he?" asked Rose, coming down the stairs at a more normal pace. "He's beautiful."

"Beautiful? Rosie, have you lost your mind?" asked Em, a disbelieving look o his face.

"What? It is! What did you say his name was? Buckbeak?"

"Yeah, Buckbeak. He's a Hippogriff."

"I've read about those!" exclaimed Nessie. "It was in one of the fantasy books Alice bought for me three years ago!" Nessie might have inherited my love for books, but she had a taste for fantasy novels that I had never acquired. I still preferred the classics.

"Well, he didn't seem to like me," said Emmett. "I walked into the room and it started to attack me!"

"That would be because you're a vampire, Em," said Jasper.

"Actually," said Sirius, "Hippogriffs will only allow someone to approach if you bow to them, and they do not like to be insulted, which no doubt you did the moment you walked into the room."

"I didn't insult it!"

"Emmett, you said it was the ugliest thing you'd ever seen."

"That wasn't being insulting! That was telling the truth!"

"No it wasn't," said Rose. "Remember that time we saw the dog naked?"

"Ugh," said Emmett, scrunching up his nose. "Please don't remind me."

"So," I mused, "Hippogriffs and werewolves and vampires and shape shifters are real… what else is there? Dragons?"

"Yes," said Sirius, smiling.

"Really?" I asked, eyes wide. "Dragons are real?"

"Yes," repeated Sirius, smirking. Ness squealed.

"Basilisks?" I asked.

Sirius nodded.

"Centaurs?"

"Yes, and don't ask them a question. You won't get a decent answer. All they'll say is 'Venus is unusually bright' or 'Saturn is close to the earth'"

"Unicorns?"

"Yes."

"Mermaids?"

"Yep, but they aren't the pretty little things in Muggle fairytales."

"Goblins?"

"Bella, we've already seen them," said Jazz, rolling his eyes.

"Oh yeah… Giants then?"

"BIG yes."

"Oh, very funny. Fairies?"

"Yes."

"Loch Ness Monster?"

"Nah, that's just a really big Kelpie."

"Elves?"

"How about you just look in your text book?" said Sirius, throwing a book called _Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them_ by Newt Scamander at me.

xXx

Over the next couple of weeks, we didn't get to see Sirius at all. He wasn't allowed to leave Grimmauld place for security reasons – apparently the Magical Government and pretty much the whole magical community thought he was a mass murderer – and so Remus, Kingsley and sometimes Moody would teach us. But mostly Remus, as he didn't have a job.

Because we were able to memorize the textbooks the first time we read them, and we could read very fast, we got the hang of the theory of magic very quickly. The practical side took a little longer, as we had to learn the proper way to cast the spell – something the book didn't explain very well and you had to get the feel for it – but we mastered everything a hundred times faster than any human ever could.

According to Remus, this was why wizards refused to let non-humans have wands – they would become too powerful. Creatures such as house elves and goblins had their own magic. Vampires had their superior skills at everything else. And Werewolves had their second form.

Once, Emmett asked Remus why he had a wand.

"Why? Well, I'm a wizard, aren't I?"

"Yeah, but you're not human, and you said that non-human's can't have wands. I mean, I get why we have them, cause we're helping and the Ministry thing doesn't know about us, but you.. the ministry knows about you."

This made Remus angrier than I'd ever seen him before.

"Not human? _Not human_? I am human!"

"No mate, you're not."

"Yes I am! What is the definition of human?"

"Well, it certainly isn't turning into a wolf every full moon."

"My parents were human!" exclaimed Remus.

"Well, here's a newsflash for you: so were mine!"

This silenced Remus for a few moments. Then –

"That's different. You were changed –"

"Yeah, you're right. I got bitten, and I changed. You got bitten, and you changed. The only difference is the thing that bit us."

Remus didn't answer.

"Look, mate, I'm not trying to upset you. I'm not trying to offend you or anything, and I'm sorry if I have. But you _aren't_ human, and you should be ha[[y about that."

"Why should I be happy about being different? Why should I be happy about being a monster?" croaked Remus.

"Remus," said Emmett, a tender expression on his face. "Look. Look at me. Am I a monster?"

Remus looked at Emmett carefully. I saw his eyes slide over his Emmett's pale skin, pause at his white teeth, then on to his brown hair, before finally, his eyes. Then he glanced at me, and I knew he was remembering what I said that first night.

"No. I think that others of your kind are, but not you, nor your family."

"And what species are we?"

"Vampires."

"Right. The humans, they generalize us. They say we are monsters who would suck them dry at the slightest moment! Just look at Dracula!"

Remus let out a small laugh.

"But what they don't see is how hard we really try. Yes, most of our kind are monsters. But even amongst those that drink human blood, there are many nice people. It is in our nature to drink. Should humans be treated as monsters because they eat meat? Even worse – they raise animals purely for the purpose of food. Is that not worse than letting the prey live before they die? But that does not matter. My family, we don't even drink human blood, yet you saw how Sirius reacted when he first saw us, and Dumbledore had explained it all to him.

"Werewolves are generalized as well. Not only do they hate you for what you are, they don't even allow you to be yourself. From what I've read in those books, they've classified you as having a 'condition', a disease called lycanthropy. But there is nothing wrong with you. You haven't caught anything. You _are_ a werewolf.

"Humans hate what they don't understand. I'm sure you know this better than anyone. And I'm sure that there are many monstrous werewolves. Am I right?"

Remus nodded.

"And yet here you are. You are the werewolf version of us. You have tried so hard to fit in… and you manage. You should be proud, not afraid. You have been given a gift with which to help the war. You can spy on wolf movements. No one else can. "

Remus smiled at Emmett. A real, proper smile.

"Thanks Emmett," he said chuckling. "But if you wanted me to answer the question, you could have just said please."

"No, I mean it!" he said. "I… you were joking, weren't you?"

"Yeah," said Remus. "You remind me of how Sirius used to be like… before… back when James was still alive… Anyway. Thanks for that. And the reason why I have a wand? Well, It's like you said; the ministry sees us as humans – or at least, part human, seeing as we _used_ to be human…"

That conversation was probably the wisest thing Emmett had ever said.

And Remus trusted us completely after that.

Now, we just have to work on the others…

xXx

About a week after Emmett's lecture on human stupidity and werewolf superiority, or whatever he was talking about, interesting things started to happen.

It all began when Kingsley was teaching us how to stun stuff. As we weren't sure whether or not magic effected vampires the same way as humans – we were waiting for Dumbledore to be there before we tested it out – so Kingsley would stand still in front of a pillow and we would practice on him.

However, just before Alice raised her wand, she let out a short '_oh!_' and looked at the center of the room.

A couple of seconds later, there was burst of fire right where Alice was looking, and a piece of parchment appeared.

Kingsley ran forward to pick it up, opened it, swore, glanced at Edward, and then ran out the door and disapperated.

"What happened?" asked Jasper, looking between Edward and Alice.

Nessie picked up the note that had appeared.

"All it says is '_Harry has been attacked by Dementors. Used a Patronus charm. Ministry has expelled him_. _Headquarters, now_.' What does that mean?"

"Well, Dementors are those prison guards right?" I asked, remembering what I'd read about them.

"Yes, and they suck the happiness out of you," said Jazz.

"Edward, what did Kingsley tell you?" I asked.

"He said to stay here, and that he has to go help Dumbledore sort this out. Some-one will come and explain to us what is happening when it is all sorted."

"This sucks!" yelled Emmett. "I hate being left out of the loop! How can we help if we're stuck here?"

Just as Emmett finished speaking, there was _crack_ outside – the sound we all knew meant some-one had apparated.

Tonks ran into the room.

"Carlisle," she said, "Dumbledore wants you to come with me."

Carlisle nodded, and ran back out with her.

"Damn!" yelled Em.

"Emmett!" said Esme.

"Sorry Mom."

"Now, what was that about?" asked Esme, looking at Edward.

Edward sighed, running a hand through his hair.

Dumbledore is calling an Order meeting to decide what to do. Tonks was thinking that he already had a plan… he didn't tell her much."

"Well then, there is no point in worrying over this when we can't do anything about it," said Esme. Then she pulled out her wand. "Right, we're going to play a game. We need to practice that color changing spell Tonks taught us yesterday. Everyone is going to have a color: Bella, you're blue; Edward, green; Rose, red; Alice, pink; Jasper, Orange; Emmett, yellow; Jacob, Black; Nessie, purple; and I'll be white. Now, Everyone must turn anything in the house their color – the person at the end who has colored the most stuff wins. You _can_ color stuff other people have already done."

"Awesome," said Jake, grinning.

"You know, this is the first time she's ever let us mess a house up on purpose, let alone tell us to," said Emmett.

"Well, before we didn't know magic," said Esme. "Ready, set, GO!"

Suffice to say that by the time Carlisle came back with Remus, the house – and it's occupants – were rather colorful.

Edward ended up winning, due to the fact that he was the fastest runner, but he got attacked by Alice afterwards for turning my sweater – which was apparently rare and rather expensive – lime green.

When everyone had calmed down and everything was back to it's normal color, Carlisle and Remus told us what had happened.

Apparently, Dementors had attacked Harry Potter – as the note had said – and he had defended himself. However, as Harry was underage, his usage of magic outside of school meant that he was expelled.

Even though they shouldn't be allowed to do that, as he _was_ defending himself.

So, Dumbledore had gone to the ministry to get Harry a hearing, and Harry would be picked up and brought to live in Grimmauld Place for the remainder of the summer.

After Remus left, it was a tribute to how bored we were getting that Emmett convinced us to play another round of 'paint the house'.

xXx

Finally came the day when Dumbledore was able to come to our house and test out how spells acted on us.

He seemed to have brought the entire Order with him.

There was Remus, Sirius (who had been let out of the house _just this once_), Tonks, Moody and Kingsley, but then there were a lot we didn't know as well.

There was a woman called Hestia Jones that reminded me of a taller, longer-haired Alice.

Daedalus Diggle who was a cross between Emmett, Seth, Jacob and Alice… but with terrible fashion sense. Even _I_ know a purple top hat doesn't look good. Alice almost fainted, I swear.

Arthur Weasley, father to the Weasley children that we were meant to be avoiding. He was a pleasant man, and the moment he walked in began quizzing Carlisle on Muggle medical procedures – it had seemed they'd had this conversation the last time they'd met.

Bill Weasley, Arthur's eldest son, who worked for Gringotts as a curse-breaker.

Sturgis Podmore and Elphias Dodge… they nodded hello, but kept well clear after that.

Emmeline Vance, another who kept to herself, although she seemed cheery.

A hook nosed man named Severus Snape who would be our potions teacher at Hogwarts… He didn't talk to me, but I could tell he hated us.

And there was Minerva McGonagall, a stern, but brilliant woman who was the Transfiguration Professor. She got along well with Esme.

Okay, so not the entire order, but it was a lot more than I thought they would need just to fire a couple of spells at us. I could tell the others felt the same.

Dumbledore seemed to notice our confusion.

"Most magical creatures," he said, "Have thick skin, and are partially immune to spells. For example, while it takes only one stunner to stun a human, it takes two to stun an acromantula, about five to stun a dragon, and six to stun a giant… do you understand?"

We nodded.

"So… you want to see how many people it would take to stun one of us?" asked Emmett.

"Basically, yes. But your skin is, well, not thicker, but harder than any other that I have ever encountered. I have no idea how much you will be able to withstand."

"So… we're guinea pigs?" asked Rose.

"No, you're vampires," said Jake.

"That reminds me," said Dumbledore, "We want to test it on you, too. You are not human, but as it takes a normal stunner to hit a normal werewolf, I am curious to see how it would affect you. You too, Nessie," said Dumbledore, smiling at my daughter.

We nodded again.

"No," said Edward. I turned to him, frowning. Didn't he want to know what we could take? But he wasn't looking at Dumbledore – he was looking at Moody. "I would not risk any member of my family in that way," he hissed.

Moody growled at him rather impressively, considering he was a human.

"Think of the lives it could save, boy," he said. "If you are immune, you could protect countless wizards – it could win us the war!"

"No," snarled Edward.

"What's going on?" said Carlisle, looking from Moody to Edward and back again.

"He wants to test the killing curse on us," spat Edward.

"What?" I gasped. "No!"

Moody was right; if we were immune, it would save lives, but, as Edward said, we couldn't risk any of our lives like that.

"If you think we're just going to stand here at let you fire a killing curse at a member of our family…" snarled Rose, not bothering to finish the threat.

"Now now, calm down," said Dumbledore, holding up his hands.

Reluctantly, we all took deep breaths and – ignoring the burning in our throats – managed to calm ourselves a little.

"How does the curse kill?" asked Jacob.

"Jake," hissed Nessie, "You can't seriously be thinking about this?"

"I just want to know," he said, holding his hands in the air.

"No-one knows," said Kingsley. "Why?"

"Well, if it stopped the heart, or stopped the breathing, or even burst an artery in the brain, then vampires would be safe."

"That's true," said Carlisle.

"No one knows how it kills," repeated Kingsley.

Jake sighed in defeat.

"Then we can't risk it."

"Why not?" asked Moody. "All of you have lived longer than a normal human life-"

"Actually, that's not true," Jazz pointed out, but Moody ignored him.

"-and you should be dead anyway. There is a chance that it will not harm you, and if it doesn't it could save the life of a young boy!"

"My daughter is only two years older than Harry!" exclaimed Edward. Once again, Moody just kept talking.

"Hundreds of people have been sacrificed trying to destroy Voldemort, and you think that-"

"SHUT UP!" I yelled. Everyone froze, and turned to stare at me. Moody looked rather mad.

I was not normally the one that yelled and interrupted, but I had had enough.

"When we stop discussing the killing off of my family members, I have an idea. When you're ready to listen, I will tell you."

Nobody spoke, so I continued.

"Why don't we decide to test the killing curse on one of us. We must all know whom. We must all believe that we are going to do it. Then, Alice will be able to tell us if it will work or not."

"That… is a really good idea," said Emmett.

"Why do you always sound surprised when I tell you my plans?" I groaned. He grinned.

"Ah yes, well, that plan of yours back when we were scheming against James didn't really work, so-"

"Please Emmett," groaned Edward, rubbing his face, "Please don't remind me of that."

I went over and wrapped my arms around his waist.

"That plan will work," said Alice.

"Good, I muttered, turning so that I was still in Edward's arms, but so that my back was against his chest. "Moody, decide to cast the curse on me."

Moody nodded.

"What? No!" cried Edward, trying to pull me behind him.

"He doesn't have to cast it," I said. "Mad-eye, just decide to."

Everyone else was watching our exchange in fascination.

Suddenly I felt Edward freeze. I looked up to see his beautiful face filled with anguish.

"Does it not work?" I said quietly. But then his face lit up.

"It worked!" he said.

"It worked?" asked Dumbledore.

"Yes," said Alice. "All it does is cause the mind to go blank for a little bit… it seems that the Avada Kedavra kills by freezing the brain, cutting out all brain activity. Well, to put it more simply… it turns the brain off. But a vampire body doesn't need the brain to survive – it is frozen, stuck in the same position as always. That is why the only way to kill a vampire is to burn it – you must completely destroy the body to stop it from functioning."

"That's why limbs still work when you rip them off…" I muttered.

"Yes, exactly. Say if I were to rip your arm off right now, Bella, it would still be able to move, even if it wasn't attached to your body. This is because a vampire body does not need the brain to survive. So, all it does is stop the brain for about a second – you can't think, you can't feel, you can't move – but then it all comes back. A second is all it takes for a human, because the Avada isn't gradual like oxygen deprivation – it is literally like flicking an off switch. "

"I guess that makes sense…" said Carlisle.

"You bet it does," said Edward, grinning. Then he picked me up and spun me around. "No evil wizard is going to take you away from me!"

"I knew that already," I said, smiling, before leaning in and kissing him on the nose.

"Urgh, enough with the couple-y stuff, please!" said Jake, pretending to gag.

"Yeah, your daughter, right here!" cried Ness.

I rolled my eyes, then leaned in to peck Edward on the lips. When I pulled away and looked into his eyes, they were back with need. I smiled, but turned away from him and towards the Order before we did something that they would yell at us for.

"So, what now?" asked Emmett.

"I would like to see how different spells affect you," said Dumbledore with a smile.

Then we were all business.

We all lined up – all the vampires, not Ness and Jake – and all the wizards and witches - excluding Dumbledore - fired spells at us, before writing down on the parchment what affected us.

However, it didn't take long to scrap that plan – it was obvious that no single person cold harm us. So, they teamed together and fired spells at one vampire at a time.

It was discovered fairly quickly that we couldn't be transfigured – our bodies really were frozen. Professor McGonagall told us to watch out when studying human transfiguration in school.. but that we wouldn't being doing that until next year at least.

We could be levitated and blasted backwards, but it took much more power than it did when lifting or blasting a human – our strength and endurance made us harder to move. This concept applied to most of the spells.

Spells to do with emotion, however, such as a cheering charm, seemed to work extra well on us. Jasper said he thought that was because even though we were cold and hard, we felt emotions stronger than humans did – love, hate, anger. It was all there, but in much greater proportions.

I think the thing that surprised Dumbledore the most were the stunners. All fourteen of them fired a stunner at Emmett, and it did absolutely nothing.

"Try again," said Dumbledore, drawing his wand.

Then, the fifteen of them fired a stunner at Emmett.

He fell backwards, and landed on the floor.

"Well," said McGonagall, "At least we know it's possible."

"How long will he stay like that?" asked Rose, nudging Emmett's still form with her foot.

"Not sure," said Remus, walking forward and squatting next to him. "For a human, it's about ten minutes, or until you revive them. I have no idea with a vampire."

"Let's wait," said Esme, maybe a little to enthusiastically. "What?" she said, looking about her. "It's nice to have some peace and quiet now and again…"

It took about five minutes before Emmett was up and walking again.

"Right," said Dumbledore, "It took fifteen stunners to take down a vampire-"

"At least fifteen, Ablus," said Minerva, "Your stunner would have been stronger than any of ours. Lets say… seventeen?"

"Seventeen then," he said, "And the vampire-"

"Do you mind?" interrupted Emmett. "I do have a name. Or would you like me to call you 'the human'?"

"Can you stun him again?" asked Ness hopefully.

Dumbledore chuckled.

"My apologies. _Emmett _woke up after half the time it takes for a human too."

"That's better," said Emmett, nodding his approval.

After a couple more spells, we came to the ones I had been dreading.

There were only three more Dumbledore wanted to try. It was the first one that I was most worried about.

_Incendio_.

"No," said Alice. "No, you can't!"

He tone was the same as Edward's was when he realized Moody wanted to test the killing curse.

"Will it affect you?" asked Dumbledore.

"Yes," whispered Alice. "Were you not listening before? That is the only way to kill a vampire… fire. If you use that spell on us, it will kill us."

"And you saw that?"

"I saw Bella going up in flames."

I froze, and in less than a second, Edward's arms were around me again, and he was snarling.

"Shhh," I said, stroking his face. "Now that Alice has warned them it won't happen."

"Incendio would be about as affective on us as Avada Kedavra is on a human," said Carlisle.

Dumbledore nodded, writing it on the paper.

"No fire then. Alastor… if you wouldn't mind…"

"Next is the Imperius," said Moody, stepping forward and pointing his wand at me. "Mind control."

"That won't work," I told him. "Not on me, Anyway."

"How do you know?"

"I have a gift too. My mind is shielded – you won't be able to control me."

"She's right," said Alice.

"Alright then," said Moody, pointing it at Edward instead. "_Imperio_!"

Suddenly, Edward's arms left my waist and he began hopping around the room like a kangaroo.

Emmett, predictably, burst out laughing.

"That is so cool!" he said. "I am sooo learning that one."

"No you will not!" growled Carlisle. "None of you are to ever use that spell unless it is a life or death situation, you understand? That spell is illegal."

"So is getting a forged passport," muttered Emmett, but he didn't complain any further than that.

I was still watching Edward. It was terrifying, watching him have no control over his body. Then, suddenly, Edward froze, then bent over.

"No," he muttered, "No, I won't!"

His face looked strained, and yet extremely determined. After a couple more seconds, he smiled victoriously and straightened back up. Then he glared at Moody.

"That was uncalled for."

"I wanted to see what would happen," said Moody, shrugging.

"What did he try to make you do?" I asked.

"He wanted me to bite you," growled Edward. Then he turned back on Moody. "Nothing could make me harm her."

"So it would seem," said Moody. "It's impressive that you were able to throw it off on your first go, but you need more practice. With how strong you are, if one of the Death Eaters cast the Imperius on you it could be the end of the world."

"Nah," said Emmett. "I could take Eddie down!"

"That's not the point," said Moody, cutting across Edward's protests. "The point is, you need to be able to throw it off for something a lot smaller than attacking your mate."

"Good point," said Edward.

"Now, last one," said Moody, glancing at Dumbledore.

Dumbledore nodded, but he had a pained expression on his face.

Moody turned his wand to Alice.

"No!" yelled Edward for what felt like the hundredth time that day. "I volunteer for this one."

"Really Edward," muttered Alice. "I can handle it."

"Yes, you can," Edward shot back, "But can Jasper?"

Alice winced, while Jasper frowned.

Edward stepped away from me, sending me an apologetic look.

Then Moody raised his wand.

"_Crucio!_"

I realized what the spell was the same moment Edward fell to the floor.

It brought back memories of a another day, another lifetime.

Everything was different – it was a castle, not a house… stone floor, not carpet… a beautiful little girl, not a gnarled old man… but it brought back the memories, because Edward was lying on the ground in front of me, writhing in pain.

"No!" I screeched, instinctively throwing my shield around Edward. I jumped in front of him in a protective position, snarling at Moody.

Mad-eye's wand was still out, still pointing at Edward, and he still had an expression of concentration plastered on his face.

But suddenly It didn't matter, because Edward put his hand on my shoulder, and whispered in my ear.

"It's alright, love, calm down."

"Not again," I snarled. "I promised, never again!"

Edward pulled me towards him once again, rubbing soothing circles into my back and pressing his face into my hair.

"What did you promise?" he asked.

"Jane," I whispered. I was sobbing into his chest now, rather than snarling. "When I learnt about my gift, I promised myself I would never let you be in that sort of pain again."

"And you didn't," he said. "You stopped it the moment you realized what was going on. I'm sorry I scared you."

I sighed, and held him tighter, before pulling back a little so I could kiss him. Nothing could make me feel more alive than when I was kissing Edward. It made everything feel right again. The feel of his soft lips, his tongue pressing my lower lip...

I forgot we had an audience, so when I felt a warm hand poke my shoulder, I spun around and found myself snarling again.

"Told you it wasn't a good idea, Jake," said Jasper.

"Whatever," said Jake, backing away from me. "It worked, didn't it."

I glared at him before settling back against Edward, looking sheepishly at the group of uncomfortable looking witches and wizards.

"Sorry about that," I said, looking at Moody. "I didn't mean to snarl at you, I just…"

"It's quite alright, it's only natural to want to protect the ones we love," said Dumbledore, smiling.

I smiled back at him.

Moody cleared his throat.

"So… your shield can block the cruciatus curse."

"I can block anything mental," I said. "The cruciatus curse does not physically hurt you, it only makes you _think_ it is hurting you. So, it can't affect me. However, things such as _Incendio_, which physicaly sets something on fire, would affect me, because it is not mental."

"I understand," grunted Moody. Then he looked at Dumbledore. "Are we done here?"

"Yes, we're done," said Dumbledore. "My apologies for the problems we have caused today."

"It's fine," said Carlisle, "We're happy to help."

"Just one thing," called out Emmett as Dumbledore turned to leave.

"Yes, Emmett?"

"Why couldn't we see the other kids?"

"Because I want them to think that you are just a normal family of exchange students. I don't want them associating you with the Order, or they may guess that you were placed there to look after them, which would make them trust you less."

"Wouldn't they trust us more if we were in the Order?" asked Rose, frowning.

"No, you see, Harry likes to be independent. He wants friends – not babysitters."

"Ah. That makes sense," said Emmett.

"Well, Goodbye then," said Dumbledore.

"Bye!" we all waved as the others made their goodbyes.

Dumbledore nodded, smiled at us, then walked out the door, the others trailing behind him.

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><p><strong>Oh yeah, longest chapter yet! Actually, it might be my longest chapter ever! It's more than 10 000 words long! (according to this website anyway...) Yay!<strong>

**As I said before, this was mainly to get some facts down. And, as I said in chapter 2, I skipped over the detailed descriptions cause you all know who the characters are and what Grimmauld Place looks like... And by the way, sorry if anyone thinks the Cullens learnt magic too fast - I know it annoys me when people do that, so i guess that makes me a hypocrite - but remember, they are vampires, and this chapter spans pretty much the entire summer holidays. I want to get them to Hogwarts already!  
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**Next chapter: HOGWARTS EXPRESS! Finally!  
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**It took me 6 hours to write this chapter. It would take you _way_ less than 6 minutes to review... probably closer to 6 seconds, but whatever. Please? For me?  
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	4. Meeting Harry Potter

**Wow, I really seem to be flying through these! In the past few weeks I've written 4 chapters of this and 6 chapters of my Marauder story. Amazing.**

**And thanks to all of you that have reviewed! I got eight for the last chapter, and considering how short this is at the moment, I think that's pretty cool.**

**This chapter is mostly introductions and stuff. We get into Hogwarts though! Yay!  
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**Disclaimer: I don't own anything you recognize.**

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><p><strong>Chapter 4<strong>

Meeting Harry Potter

The rest of our time seemed to fly by.

There were some interesting things, like when Remus ran into the house all excited to yell out that Harry had won his case, or when Tonks came in muttering about escaping Molly Weasley's cleaning rampage. We also got to visit Grimmauld place for a couple of Order meetings, but not many, and we never got to meet any more people than our teachers, Sirius, Molly and Arthur.

But other than that, it was pretty monotonous.

Sure, magic was interesting, and it was great learning how to use it.

Moody had us practicing dueling, and we soon found that when a vampire fires a spell at another vampire, it is about the same as when a human fires one at a human.

However, we were all very excited when August 31st rolled around. Dumbledore came to our house to explain everything one last time.

"Now, as you know I have explained to all of the teachers what you are… except for the new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher, Dolores Umbridge. She can't be trusted."

We nodded, having okayed the disclosure of our secret the week before. The only people that knew of what we really are were the Hogwarts teachers (excluding Umbridge) and a few choice Order members – Remus, Sirius, Tonks, Moody, Kingsley, Arthur and Molly. Dumbledore felt obliged to tell Arthur and Molly, seeing as we would be in close contact with their son, and – although Molly had some doubts – were okay with it. They trusted Dumbledore's judgment.

The Order members that had come to help when Dumbledore was firing spells at us no longer knew what we were – Dumbledore had performed a memory charm on them. I was a bit skeptical when I found out about that, but apparently, they had known what they were doing and given their permission when they agreed to help.

"So, your family situation," said Dumbledore. "Would you care to tell me who you all are?"

This time, we had all decided to match every one up by hair color, as this was the feature most people looked at when discerning siblings.

"I'm Emmett Swan, twin to Bella," said Emmett. We both had curly brown hair, so we were brother and sister, despite our size.

"Isabella Swan, twin to Emmett."

"Edward Masen, brother to Renesmee." Edward and Ness were playing siblings that were ten months apart, so they were still in the same year, but so that we didn't end up with three sets of twins.

"Renesmee Masen, sister to Edward."

"Jasper Hale, twin to Rose."

"Rosalie Hale, twin to Jazz."

"Alice Brandon, niece to Esme."

"Jacob Black, related to no-one, the odd one out. And I'm not adopted – I'm a foster kid."

"And we are Carlisle and Esme Cullen, adoptive parents to everyone else."

"Good. Now, you all know how to get to Hogwarts, about the houses, and the sorting?"

We all nodded, rolling our eyes. Vampires never forgot anything.

"Now, I have asked the sorting hat to place you into your houses in pairs. Normally I would not ask the sorting hat anything, but as you are going to Hogwarts for reasons other than learning, that is what I have done. I do not know who will go where, but I do know that you may not end up in the house you would have been put in if I had not spoke to the hat." His gaze lingered on Jasper.

"So, the hat you talked to… that's the one that will sort us, right?"

"Jake, could you be any slower?"

"Geez Ness, it was an innocent question."

"I need to get back to the school, but there's one more thing before I leave," said Dumbledore. "I want you to try and get Bella – and Edward – sitting in the same compartment on the train as Harry. Alice, you may need to work on that. Good day!"

He had disappeared into the fireplace before we could even ask him a question, and considering that we're vampires, that's saying something.

"Right," said Alice immediately, a blank look on her face. "Here's the plan…"

xXx

"Why us?" asked Ness.

"You heard what Alice said. It has to be me, and then Edward can't stay here with me because otherwise Harry will think we are outcasts from the family, and you were the next in line."

We were currently standing in Kingscross station in front of the barrier between platforms nine and ten.

Alice had told us that Tonks would be along with Harry and Sirius in a couple of minutes.

We were supposed to act the part of confused foreign students who did not know how to get onto platform 9 ¾ , and ask for help. Ness had wanted to go to the bathroom, and I had gone with her, the others taking our luggage. However, they had managed to enter the platform and left us behind.

Then, Harry would already know me and not hesitate to sit with Edward and I in the compartment we would be sharing with a girl called Luna Lovegood.

Well, that was what Alice said, and Alice was hardly ever wrong.

"Quick, I can see Tonks," said Ness.

"Do you have any idea how to get through?" I asked her, slightly louder than I would normally talk. I glanced around me, pretending to be looking for Muggles, but really I was trying to get a glance at Harry.

Sure enough, about fifteen meters away, I could just make out Tonks – looking rather plain – walking alongside a teenaged boy with jet black, messy hair. Next to him trotted a black dog, which I figured must be Sirius.

"None at all," said Ness, answering my question.

"Ugh!" I walked up to the barrier and hit it lightly with my fist. "I am going to _kill_ Edward the next time I see him!" My acting skills had increased dramatically over the past few years. I had to become good at lying and acting to keep up the charade – though my family could still see through me easily.

"Why, for taking our luggage? I thought that was rather nice of him, actually."

"No! He promised he would wait if they figured out how to get through!"

"Well, Alice probably dragged her through. You know what she's like."

"Then I'll kill Alice!"

"Hey look!" said Ness, gesturing to Tonks and Harry as if she had just seen them. "Maybe they can help!"

"No, Ness!" I said in a loud whisper that I was sure they would be able to hear. "You can't just walk up and ask – what if they are Muggles?"

"Muggles that are walking straight for the barrier? Anyway, if they are Muggles, they'll just decide that we are mad and move on. If they're magical, we won't miss the train. Simple as that!"

I smiled as she danced over to Tonks and Harry, following her slowly.

"Hi!" said Ness.

"Um, Hi," said Harry, glancing at Tonks for reassurance. Of course the poor kid probably thought we were minions of Voldemort. God knows he has reason to.

Tonks shot me a disapproving glare, but I smiled at her. We _were_ following Dumbledore's orders, after all.

"Do you know how to get onto the platform?" asked Ness.

"Yeah," said Harry, seeming to relax a little. Then I spoke up.

"Great! We're sorry to bother you, only our brothers and sisters seem to have already gone through…"

"Oh, stop hatching murder plans, Bella!" said Ness, causing Harry to tense again. "You can kill Alice later! Right now we need to not miss the train!"

"Right," I said, smiling at her. Then I looked at Harry, holding out my hand. "I'm Bella, by the way. Bella Swan."

"Harry Potter."

"I'm Renesmee Masen! And you are?" Ness looked at Tonks, a slight smirk on her face. Tonks seemed to be resisting the urge to roll her eyes.

"Tonks."

"Nice to meet you! Oh, you have such a cool dog! What's his name?"

"Er, Snuffles," said Harry, rubbing the back of his neck uncomfortably.

"Snuffles?" asked Ness, raising her eyebrows. I snorted, and I swear Sirius glared at me. It's odd seeing a dog glare. I'd seen Jake glare in wolf form, but it was just a sight you didn't really get used to.

"Ness," I said as she bent down to pat 'Snuffles'. "I thought you wanted to get to the platform? Everyone else will probably be worried…"

"Yeah, okay. Harry, how do we get onto the platform?"

"You just walk into the barrier."

"Walk through the wall, you mean?" I asked.

"Yeah."

"Oh okay! See you round, Harry!" Then Ness ran – at human speed - into the wall and disappeared. I rolled my eyes.

"Almost as bad as Alice," I muttered, shaking my head. Then I turned to Harry. "Thanks for all your help. I'll see you in school?" Harry merely nodded. "Bye, Tonks!" Tonks glared at me half heartedly. "By Snuffles," I chuckled, patting his head. Sirius growled playfully.

And then I went through the barrier.

When I reached the other side, I was greeted by the sight of a gleaming red steam engine, with the words 'Hogwarts Express' painted on the side.

"There you are!" exclaimed Edward loudly enough for Harry – who had just walked through the barrier behind me to hear. He walked over and grabbed my hand.

"Where'd Ness go?" I asked.

"She's already on the train – I bet she's stolen my seat. Come on." Then he dragged me through the crowd and onto the train.

"Right," said Alice as we stood outside the compartment the others were in. "You two need to sit in the compartment next to this one; there's a girl with blonde hair in there. Don't try to talk to her too much, or she'll get uncomfortable. And no PDA either. Just read or something."

"All right, Alice," I said, grabbing my trunk from Emmett.

"Watch it Bells," said Jazz sternly. "Throwing trunks around like that is not a good thing for some-one your size… you could hurt yourself."

"Sorry Jazz."

Edward and I left the compartment and pretended to struggle while dragging our trunks to the one next door. I pulled the door open and smiled at the compartments single occupant. We were fairly late, so there were no empty compartments, and that was why we needed to sit with her. Well, that's what she would think.

"Hi! Do you mind if we sit here?" I asked kindly. "Only, the other compartments are full, and we can't fit into the one with our family."

The girl looked us over, then nodded, before turning back to her magazine – the Quibbler, it was called.

"Thanks," said Edward, smiling.

I let Edward lift our trunks above the seats, as it would look odd if I did it, then let him sit next to the window. After all, Alice had said Harry would be more comfortable sitting next to me than Edward, and it would be difficult for him to do so if I were sitting by the window.

Remembering Alice's advice, I pretended to yawn and leant on Edward's shoulder.

"I think I'll try and sleep before the train starts to move," I muttered. "I'll never fall asleep when it starts."

Edward chucked and wrapped an arm around me before he pulled out a book.

A couple of minutes later, the train pulled away from the station, and the compartment door opened. Peering through my lashes, I was able to see a girl standing in the doorway. Due to the flaming color of her hair, I figured she was probably Ginny Weasley: Arthur, Molly and Bill had been red headed when saw them.

"Hi," she said, much the same way I had when we had come in. "Do you mind if we sit here?"

Edward looked to Luna, who nodded, before turning back to her Quibbler again.

"Ugh," I muttered as Harry and another boy walked in. "I'll never sleep now."

Edward suppressed a snigger.

"Sorry," muttered the girl in an insulted tone, as she sat next to Luna, and Neville sat next to her, leaving Harry to sit next to me; just as Alice had said he would.

"No, I didn't mean it like that," I said, rubbing my face before smiling at her. "It's not your fault. I just can't sleep in a moving vehicle… cars, trains, planes, buses, none of it."

"Oh."

"I'm Bella by the way," I said. "Bella Swan."

"Nice to meet you. I'm Ginny Weasley," she replied, confirming my thoughts. "This is Harry Potter, Neville Longbottom, and Luna Lovegood." She gestured to the girl reading the magazine.

"I already know Harry," I said with a smile. "And it's nice to meet you Luna, Neville," I said. Neville blushed as I turned my gaze onto him.

I swallowed as I saw that pool of blood in his face, so close to the surface of his skin…

No, bad thoughts.

Luckily, Edward chose that moment to speak up.

"No way," said Edward. "_The _Harry Potter?"

"What?" I asked, turning to him.

"Harry Potter? The one I told you about, remember?"

I frowned. What was he doing? Then Edward whispered in a tone to low for the humans to hear:

"He was curious when you didn't react to his name before. He is famous, you know."

"Oh. Right." Then louder I added; "Oh _that_ Harry Potter."

"Yeah," said Harry, looking like he very much wanted out of the compartment. "That's me."

"I mean, I knew you went to Hogwarts but-"

"Edward, shut up," I growled at him. "Don't mind him, Harry. He loves to read, and you know how books often exaggerate these things…" Harry grinned at me.

"None taken. You should have seen how my friend Ron acted when he first realized who I was."

"So… your name's Edward?" Ginny asked, trying to start up a conversation.

"Yeah. Edward Masen."

"Are you Renesmee's brother?" asked Harry.

"Yes, have you already met her?"

"Harry was the one that helped us get through the barrier," I said, glaring playfully at Edward.

"Hey, that wasn't my fault!"

"You said you'd wait if they figured out how to get through!"

"Yes, I know I did! But Alice dragged me through!"

"Alice? Are you telling me that tiny little Alice was able to drag _you_ through the barrier?"

"Yes. You know Alice. Also, she had Emmett help her."

"Right… but why was she so adamant about you getting on the train early?"

"Do not ask me to explain the inner workings of Alice's mind."

I almost choked at the irony.

"Sorry, who's Alice?" asked Neville.

"Our sister," I said. "She and the rest of our family are in the compartment next to this one. But seeing as Jake and Emmett are giants, we couldn't all fit. And as we were the last ones there-"

"Well technically, I wasn't the last one there – Ness stole my seat," interrupted Edward.

"Anyway, we had to come in here."

"Oh," said Ginny. "Are you new here? I don't think I've seen you around before."

"Yes, we've just moved here from America," said Edward.

"That would explain the accent," said Ginny.

"Do you like it here?" asked Harry.

"Sure," I said, "Although we haven't been here for long."

"What year are you in?" asked Neville, still staring at me.

"Fifth," I said.

"What about you Edward?" asked Luna in a dreamy voice. She wasn't looking at Edward, though, she was staring at Harry.

"Also fifth. Our whole family is in the same year."

"Are you and Renesmee twins then?" asked Harry.

"No, Ness is ten months younger. But Bella and Emmett are twins, and so are Rosalie and Jasper."

"Wait, how is that even possible?" asked Ginny.

"We're all adopted," I said.

"Wow, your parents must be amazing, adopting… how many teenagers?"

"There's eight of us all together. Emmett and I, Rose and Jazz, Edward and Ness, then there's Alice who is Esme's niece, and Jake who is a foster kid."

"Wow," said Ginny again. "I mean, there's seven of us in my family, but we're all spread out and we have only one set of twins! Your house must be hectic."

"You don't know the half of it," I muttered.

"Wait, who's Esme?" asked Neville. He and Ginny seemed really curious, but Harry seemed a little uncomfortable discussing our life.

"Our mother," said Edward. "And our father's name is Carlisle."

"Why adopt so many kids?" asked Ginny. I sighed. They really were nosey.

"Carlisle and Esme can't have kids, so they wanted to adopt. We were all in need of good homes and people were trying to spilt us up – the twins and siblings, I mean – so Carlisle and Esme adopted us together. We were all adopted at different times, they just fell in love with us," explained Edward. He looked uncomfortable, so Neville – bless him – changed the subject.

"Hey, wait until you see what I got over the holidays!" he exclaimed, reaching into his bag and pulling out a plant.

It looked like a cactus... but it was an insult to cacti to all it one. It was covered in small boils that looked like they were filled with puss, and was slowly pulsating.

"Neville… what is that?" asked Harry.

"Mimbulus Mimbletonia!" he announced proudly. "It's a really rare plant – my uncle got for me for my birthday when he was in Assyria. I'm going to see If I can breed from it!

"Does it, er, do anything?" asked Harry, looking at the plant skeptically.

"Yeah, it does loads of stuff! Its Stinksap is good for curing nervousness, and shyness and timidity, and it has a really cool defense mechanism. Here, hold Trevor for me-" he passed the toad he was holding to Harry, then began to dig in his pockets.

He pulled out a quill and proceeded to stab the ugly looking plant.

There was a horrible squelching noise, and liquid burst from every boil in the thing. Being a vampire and having super fast reflexes, I was able to hide my face in Edward's shoulder, and he covered his face with his arms.

Ginny was able to cover herself as well, and Luna used her magazine as a shield, but Harry and Neville, who were both clutching a Toad and a plant respectively, where absolutely drenched.

"S-sorry!" gasped Neville, putting down the plant and wiping his face. "I've never done that before and I didn't think it would be quite so… "

"Dramatic?" I provided, lifting my somewhat clean face from Edward's shoulder.

"Yeah." Then he winced as Harry spat out a mouthful of the stuff. "Don't worry, it's not poisonous," said Neville quickly.

At that precise moment, the door opened, revealing a girl who looked like she was a little older than the humans in our compartment.

She had longish black hair and a nice smile – quite pretty for a human. She smiled as she saw Edward – making a small growl rise in my throat – and then glared when she saw me. That helped. A little.

When she turned her gaze to Harry, he blushed violently – not that a human could tell through all the Stinksap, but I certainly could – making me look away from him.

"Oh, hi Harry," the girl said. "Bad time?"

"Hi," said Harry, sounding nervous. I looked back now, and almost laughed when I saw his face. Poor Harry – he obviously liked this girl, and she just walked in on him covered in Stinksap and holding a toad.

"Well… I just… thought I'd say hello. By then."

Then she wandered off.

But before the door could close, a small, pale hand caught it.

-_click!-_

"Alice!" yelled Edward.

Alice grinned, and opened the door completely. She was holding a camera in her hand.

Neville was looking between her and me with wide eyes, while Luna was shaking Stinksap of her Quibbler, Ginny was smirking and Harry was rubbing his face, probably annoyed about the incident a few moments before.

"Hey Edward, Bella. Just checking to see if you were still alive, and I couldn't pass up the opportunity when I saw what you looked like! Can't wait to show this to Emmett!"

"Alice," I growled, "Give me the camera or I swear your clothes will not live to see another sunrise!"

"Really Bella, I know you better than that by now," she said, wagging her finger. "You always make these sorts of threats, but you never follow through."

"She might not but I will," said Edward, standing up and trying to grab the camera out of her hands. But, he had to do so at human pace, and Alice saw him coming.

"Careful Edward," said Alice, "Or you won't have a piano to go home to."

"Have I ever told you how much I hate you?" I groaned as Edward sighed in defeat.

"All the time! I'm Alice Brandon by the way," she said, grinning around at the others. "See you all in school!"

"Alice," I said, "Please."

"Nope. Bye, see you all in school!"

And with that, she danced out of the compartment, shutting the door behind her.

"I'm going to kill her," I muttered. "I really am."

"Now, now," said Edward, smirking. "Didn't we talk about controlling these homicidal urges?"

I glared at him.

"Oh, come on," said Ginny. "We can get rid of this stuff: _Scourgify!_"

Thankfully, all the Stinksap disappeared.

"Ginny," I said, "Seeing as Jake is one of the ones that made us leave the other compartment and Alice is being more annoying than usual at the moment, you are now, officially, my new best friend."

"Um… thanks?"

"No problem."

"Sorry guys," said Neville in a small voice.

"It doesn't matter," I said. "It's made this trip memorable, if anything."

"So that was your sister?" asked Luna. "She seemed nice."

I looked at her disbelievingly.

"She can be," said Edward, "But most of the time she's just plain annoying."

"A little more than annoying if you ask me," I muttered.

"Bella, I can hear you, you know," I hear Alice say in the other compartment. I rolled my eyes.

"What houses are you all in?" asked Edward, trying to move onto another subject, even though he no doubt all ready knew the answer.

"We're all in Gryffindor, apart from Luna," said Ginny. "She's in Ravenclaw."

"Wit beyond measure is man's greatest treasure," chanted Luna.

"I think Emmett would agree with you," grinned Edward.

"What houses do you think we'll be in?" I asked.

"We can't really say," said Harry. "We don't know you well enough."

"You won't be in Slytherin, though, that's for sure," said Neville. "You're way too nice."

"Well, surely there are _some_ nice people in Slytherin," I said. "They can't be all bad, just like how not all Gryffindors are good."

Harry flinched when I said that, but I didn't bring it up.

"No, trust us," said Ginny. "There is no such thing as a nice Slytherin."

"Wanna bet?" I heard Em say through the wall. Of course, two of us would end up in Slytherin.

_I hope it's not me_, I thought, and then reprimanded myself for being selfish. _Just so long as it isn't Ness. Anyone but Ness… or Edward._

"So, not Slytherin then," mused Edward. "That leaves Gryffindor, Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff, right?"

"Yeah."

"Ravenclaws are smart and Gryffindors are brave, I think," I said, thoughtfully. We had read all about the houses in _Hogwarts: A History_ about a week ago, but they were sure to be a bit suspicious if we knew everything. "What are Hufflepuffs?"

"Loyal," said Harry. He had a far-away look on his face, and seemed almost pained. "Hufflepuffs are loyal."

I glanced at Edward for an explanation, but he just gave me a look that clearly said 'later'.

We chatted for a while, and after about an hour, the door opened again, this time revealing a bushy haired girl and another red-head.

These, I figured, were Ron and Hermione.

Ron had a slightly dazed look on his face, and Edward sniggered.

"He's thinking of Rosalie: he saw her through the glass," he whispered.

I had to work _really hard_ not to laugh.

"Er, hi," said Hermione as she looked around the compartment, her gaze resting on Harry. "Is there any room in here, or should we just-"

"Oh, no, there's room," I said, moving closer to Edward. Harry moved closer to me, and opposite us, Luna, Ginny and Neville all bunched up as well. It was a little squashed, but we managed. Ron sat next to Harry, and Hermione sat next to Neville.

"Sorry," said Ron, staring at me in appreciation, "But who are you?"

"Bella Swan," I said, smiling warmly. "And this is Edward Masen. We just moved here from America."

"Really?" asked Hermione excitedly. "Which school did you go to?"

"Salem Institute of Magic," said Edward, giving her the answer Dumbledore had provided. "It's not as good as Hogwarts though, which was one reason why we moved. The other reason was that our parents, Carlisle and Esme, got job offers."

Suddenly, Edward stiffened.

"Carlisle," muttered Ron, then his eyes widened. "Isn't your father a member of the order or something?"

"Order?" I asked, remembering that Dumbledore told us they couldn't know we were a part of it. "What order?"

Ron opened his mouth to answer, but Harry elbowed him in the ribs, glancing at Neville and Luna, who were listening intently.

Then, he muttered in his ear:

"They might not be, don't take any chances."

"I heard dad talking to mum about some new member from America called Carlisle through the extendable ears!" Ron muttered back.

"Damn," whispered Edward. "Remus was right – those twins really are a terror. They're like Emmett – only worse!"

"You've got to be kidding me," I whispered back.

Nothing really exciting happened in the next few minutes: Ron, Hermione and Ginny talked about Prefects while studiously ignoring us – well, Hermione and Ginny did, but Ron kept glancing at me, causing a continuous growl to rumble out of Edwards chest – while Harry looked over Luna's Quibbler. Edward took his book back out again, while Luna gave me a lecture on some strange creatures called Crumple-horned Snorkacks.

After a while, however, I heard a commotion from next door, and listened in.

"Get out of here, you weasel-faced git!"

"Don't be like that, America. If you're in Slytherin, come see me and I'll show you around."

"Ugh!"

There was a bit of a crash, and I could only assume Rose had pushed the insolent boy that was harassing her out of the compartment.

"And stay out!"

Of course, that meant the boy was coming towards us.

The door slid open, and I immediately agreed with Rose's description of 'weasel face'. He was blonde and pale, with pointed features, and I could have sworn his nose was upturned – though that might have been my imagination.

He had one large boy standing on either side of him, like body guards.

All the Gryffindors seemed to snarl when they saw him.

"What do you want, Malfoy?" asked Harry.

"Manners, Potter, or I'll have to give you a detention," the boy – Malfoy – said in a drawling voice. "You see, I, unlike you, have been made a prefect, which means that I, unlike you, have the power to hand out punishments."

"Yeah," said Harry, "but you, unlike me, are a git, so get out and leave us alone."

I couldn't help myself – I let out a laugh. This, of course, brought Malfoy's attention to me.

"Well, hello," he said, looking me up and down. I covered Edward's hand with my own, trying unsuccessfully to calm him down. "Are you related to the blonde beauty in the next compartment, by any chance?"

"She's my sister," I said flatly.

"Why are you with these idiots? Why don't you come and sit with us?" he gestured to the gorilla's standing outside.

"These are my friends," I snapped, "And I would appreciate it if you refrained from calling them idiots. Did Harry not outwit you a second ago?"

"Watch it," he snarled. "You must be that blonde's sister – two of a kind, you are. You and your family need to watch themselves at Hogwarts, or they just might find-"

"Leave," snarled Edward, standing, not bothering to pull out his wand. His face was livid – he looked like a vampire again. I hadn't seen that look on his face for years… "Go on, leave before my temper gets the better of me."

It doesn't need saying that Malfoy and his cronies were out of there in a matter of seconds.

"Is he always that bad?" I asked Harry, taking Edward's hand as he sat back next me.

"Malfoy?" asked Harry. "Yeah. Although, he doesn't normally seem to notice girls."

"I wonder how your sister took it," mused Hermione.

I snorted.

"Knowing Rose, she'd give him a lesson in bitchiness and throw him out the door."

No need to mention that that was what had actually happened.

"What I'd pay to see that," muttered Ron, a dreamy look on his face.

Edward laughed, but it was a bit strained.

"Emmett would rip him to shreds," he chuckled. "I'm surprised Malfoy is still in one piece, to be honest."

"Agreed."

"Emmett is your brother, right?" Neville asked me. I nodded.

"He's really protective, but the best big brother I could ever ask for."

I heard Em say:

"Thanks Bells!"

"Hey!" grumbled Jazz.

"And Jasper too, he's also a great big brother," I said quickly. Edward chuckled.

"Good save," laughed Hermione, even though there was no way she could have heard them.

"Thanks!"

The rest of the trip was filled with meaningless chatter, and eventually the train slowed.

There was a bit of a racket as all the students reached for their pets and pulled down their trunks, and then tried to force their way out of the doors four at a time. We moved away from Harry and others with a quick goodbye, and looked for the rest of our family.

Over the student's voices and cries from the various pets, we heard a woman's vice calling:

"First years, over here please! This way! First Years, come to me!"

"Do we go over there?" I asked Edward.

He shook his head no.

"We need to ride in the carriages with the older students. McGonagall will intercept us when we get to the castle, Alice has seen it."

We found the rest of our family standing by two carriages, which where harnessed to thestrals. I had seen them in my copy of _Monster Book of Monsters,_ but a picture couldn't really prepare you for the real thing.

"What are they?" I heard a voice ask. I turned to see Harry by the next carriage along, staring at a thestral.

So Harry could see them. That meant he had seen some-one die… and recently, too, or he would have seen them before.

Poor kid. I was really starting to realise how horrible his life was. Dumbledore had explained, but still…

"Can't you see them, Ron?"

I sighed, and walked over to Harry. No need to have him think he was going mad.

"They're called Thestrals," I said. Hermione, who was staring at Harry with concern, let out a small _'oh'_. "Not everyone can see them, Harry. You're not going mad."

"Oh," said Harry, frowning. "Why can I see them now, but not before?"

I sighed, not really wanting to be the one to explain this to him. Luckily, Hermione spoke up.

"You can only see a thestral if you've seen some-one die. So, you couldn't see them before but after the end of last year- oh Harry, I'm sorry, I didn't mean-"

"It's okay, Hermione," said Harry, sighing. Then he went to climb into the carriage, but before he did he turned to me. "Thanks, by the way."

"No problem."

Then I went and joined my family.

The carriage ride was not very comfortable: I ended up being squashed between Emmett and Jasper, who, of course decided to tease me about the way Ron turned into a tomato every time he looked at me.

However, they stopped the moment we rounded a bend at got our first glimpse of the castle.

"Wow."

It was huge, with loads of towers and turrets. It looked like it had jumped right out of a fairytale.

"This is going to be way more fun than high school!" exclaimed Emmett.

"I thought we had already figured that, Emmett," muttered Ness.

"Whatever."

It took us about ten minutes to reach the castle. When we went through the huge oak doors, we all looked up in amazement. There was so much to see; the large hourglasses, the staircases, the portraits…

"Cullens! Cullens, over here please!" I looked up and saw Professor McGonagall gesturing towards us from near the wall.

"She knows we're not going my that name, right?" I asked.

"We are," said Alice. "Separately we all have different names, but in a group we are referred to by our parents names."

"Do we really need to confuse the humans even more?" I asked.

"Yep."

"Hello," said McGonagall when we reached her. "You will wait outside in the entrance hall until I call for you – you will be able to hear, won't you?" We all nodded. "Good. I will call for you when the first years are done. Good luck!"

And then she was gone, presumably to look after the first years.

So we watched as all the students filed into the Great Hall, and then as McGonagall came back, he first years following behind her.

"Not long now," muttered Jasper. "And then we will officially be apart of this school."

About a minute later, we heard some-one singing inside the hall.

"_In times of old when I was new,_

"_And Hogwarts barely started,_

"_The founders of our noble school,_

"_Thought never to be parted,_

"_United by a common goal,_

"_They had the selfsame yearning,_

"_To make the world's best magic school,_

"_And pass along their learning._

"'_Together we will build and teach!'_

"_The four good friends decided,_

"_And never did they dream,_

"_That they might some day be divided,_

"_For were there such friends anywhere,_

"_As Slytherin and Gryffindor?_

"_Unless it was the second pair_

"_Of Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw?_

"_So how could it have gone so wrong?_

"_How could such friendships fail?_

"_Why, I was there and so can tell,_

"_The whole sad, sorry tale._

"_Said Slytherin, 'We'll teach just those whose_

"_Ancestry is purest.'_

"_Said Ravenclaw, 'We'll teach those whose_

"_Intelligence is surest.'_

"_Said Gryffindor, "We'll teach all those_

"_With brave deeds to their name."_

"_Said Hufflepuff, 'I'll teach the lot,_

"_And treat them just the same.'_

"_These differences caused little strife,_

"_When first they came to light,_

"_For each of the four founders had_

"_A house in which they might_

"_Take only those they wanted,_

"_So, for instance, Slytherin_

"_Took only pure-blood wizards_

"_Of great cunning, just like him,_

"_And only those of sharpest mind_

"_Were taught by Ravenclaw_

"_While the bravest and the boldest_

"_Went to daring Gryffindor._

"_Good Hufflepuff, she took the rest,_

"_And taught them all she knew,_

"_Thus the houses and their founders_

"_Retained friendships firm and true._

"_So Hogwarts worked in harmony_

"_For several happy years,_

"_But then discord crept among us_

"_Feeding on our faults and fears._

"_The houses that, like pillars four,_

"_Had once held up our school,_

"_Now turned upon each other and,_

"_Divided, sought to rule._

"_And for a while it seemed the school_

_ "Must meet an early end, _

"_What with duelling and with fighting_

"_And the clash of friend on friend_

"_And at last there came a morning_

"_When old Slytherin departed_

"_And though the fighting then died out_

"_He left us quite downhearted._

"_And never since the founders four_

"_Were whittled down to three_

"_Have the houses been united_

"_As they once were meant to be._

"_And now the Sorting Hat is here_

"_And you all know the score:_

"_I sort you into houses_

"_Because that is what I'm for,_

"_But this year I'll go further,_

"_Listen closely to my song:_

"_Though condemned I am to split you_

"_Still I worry that it's wrong,_

"_Though I must fulfil my duty_

"_And must quarter every year_

"_Still I wonder whether Sorting_

"_May not bring the end I fear._

"_Oh, know the perils, read the signs,_

"_The warning history shows,_

"_For our Hogwarts is in danger_

"_From external, deadly foes_

"_And we must unite inside her_

"_Or we'll crumble from within_

"_I have told you, I have warned you…_

"_Let the Sorting now begin."_

"Wait a second… was that a hat, singing that song?" asked Jake.

Renesmee walked over to a wall and began to whack her head on it.

"Ness, stop that!" I cried, pulling her away from it. "You might knock the wall down!"

"Does it normally give warnings like that?" asked Alice.

"No," said Edward. "Most of the students are confused… normally it just explains the different qualities of each house."

"Strange… I wonder if it knows whether something bad is going to happen?" mused Jasper.

"Well it obviously think something will happen, or it wouldn't have given the warning," said Rose as McGonagall began calling names.

When she was finished, Dumbledore – whom I could only assume had stood up – called the school to attention once more. Then, he said;

"This year, we have eight new students that will be joining our school. They have just moved to England from the United States, and I hope you give them all a warm welcome! Cullens, if you could enter please!"

"Well, here goes nothing," muttered Rose, then she stepped forward to open the large doors.

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><p><strong>Finally, I made it! Hogwarts!<strong>

**Review? Please? I'll give you an imaginary cookie if you do! ;)  
><strong>


	5. Conversations Across the Great Hall

**Sorry for the delay, it's just that the winter holidays just finished and I'm back at school, so updates might be a little less frequent.**

**And thanks once again for all the reviews, they blew my mind. **

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything you recognize, and yes, there are a few chunks of dialogue from Dumbledore and Umbridge that are directly out of the book...**

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 5<strong>

Conversations across the Great Hall

I was momentarily stunned as we walked into the large room. There were five long tables; four for the students, and one for the teachers, and almost every spot was filled. For a moment, I was overwhelmed by the amount of people in the room, the hundreds of heartbeats pumping blood through millions of arteries and veins.

Edward placed his hand on my back, and I followed behind Emmett.

Every eye was on us; I had the feeling that Hogwarts didn't often get new students like this. I expected the students to all whisper about us, but they didn't – they were completely silent, staring at us in awe. Well, they were silent until we made it about halfway to where McGonagall was standing with a hat.

Then, I heard someone from the left mutter:

"Kind of reminds you of last year, doesn't it, with that Fleur girl."

And then the muttering started.

However, they all fell silent the moment McGonagall began to speak again.

"I will call your names, and then you will come forward to be sorted. Black, Jacob."

"Why do I have to go first," muttered Jake as he moved forward.

"Alphabetical order, you idiot," hissed Rose.

"I knew that!"

"Just get up there Jake," I sighed.

"Fine."

He sat in the stool and McGonagall placed the hat on his head. It just sat there, not doing anything.

"Isn't it supposed to talk?" asked Ness.

"It is talking," said Edward, "but it is all inside Jake's head."

After about twenty more seconds, the hat yelled:

"HUFFLEPUFF!"

The students on what I assumed must have been the Hufflepuff table cheered.

"Brandon, Alice."

The hat had barely touched Alice's head when it sorted her.

"RAVENCLAW!"

As Alice danced back past me to join the applauding Ravenclaw table, she hissed:

"Bella, you'll need to lower your shield."

Yeah, I guess I would have to, seeing as the hat wanted to be inside my head and all. It didn't mean I was comfortable with it.

"Hale, Jasper."

The hat took a little bit longer with Jasper – he sat there for about a minute. I heard Alice sigh in annoyance just before the hat yelled:

"SLYTHERIN!"

"I thought Slytherin was the bad house?" I asked.

"Yes, but it is also for the cunning and ambitious people," said Edward. "The hat was saying something about how Jasper would have done well in Ravenclaw with Alice, but from what he'd seen in Alice and Jake's mind, he was better suited for Slytherin than the rest of us. Well, almost all the rest of us," he smirked.

"What do you mean?"

"Hale, Rosalie."

"Watch."

"SLYTHERIN!"

Edward seemed to be fighting the urge to laugh as Rose stepped away from the stool, an annoyed expression on her face.

"What did it tell her?" asked Ness.

"I think she would murder me if I told you."

"Masen, Edward."

I crossed my fingers, hoping that he would go to Gryffindor – that was the only way I could join him, as Dumbledore had said there would be two of us in each house. Of course, I would probably end up in Hufflepuff with Jake anyway; I'm not very brave or chivalrous.

Edward sat on the stool for longer than any of the others had. I wondered what was taking so long.

Then finally, finally the hat made a decision.

"GRYFFINDOR!"

I watched as Edward made his way to the only table none of my siblings had been to yet, and saw Edward slide into a seat near Ron, Hermione and Harry.

"Masen, Renesmee."

The hat took much less time deciding for her than Edward.

"RAVENCLAW!"

That left two places – Hufflepuff and Gryffindor. I didn't mind to much where I would be placed, but I would prefer to be with Edward if I had the choice.

"Swan, Emmett."

Oh, of course I had to be sorted last.

However, the hat didn't take too long to sort Emmett either.

"HUFFLEPUFF!"

Yes! I got to be with Edward. _And_ Jacob was in the same house as Emmett! This could be interesting. Not as interesting as it would have been if Rose and Jake got the same, but I don't think that would have happened in a million years.

"Swan, Isabella."

Oh, my turn. Great.

I walked up and sat on the stool, then McGonagall placed the hat on my head. It was too big for me, and fell over my eyes a little, but not by much. I could still see my family smiling at me from the hoards of unfamiliar faces.

Nothing happened.

"Bella…" I heard Alice groan from her table.

Oh, right.

I quickly lowered my shield.

_Thank you for finally allowing me access to your mind._

I froze, and almost let the shield snap back into place. But I managed to hold it. Just.

_Ah, I see you already know where I am going to put you. Yes, Dumbledore did tell me to place you evenly, but I have done my best… But no matter, I have seen in the minds of your family some of the things that you have done, and even if it was not what I would have to do… There is no question… You belong in-_

"GRYFFINDOR!"

Smiling, I gave the hat back to McGonagall and went to the Gryffindor table, sliding in between Edward and a hopeful looking fourteen year old.

Edward smirked knowingly at me, but I just rolled my eyes at him.

Dumbledore stood up and told everyone to eat, and then suddenly there was a whole pile of food on the table.

"Wow," I said.

"That was my reaction too," said Ron, grinning at me from across the table. "Nice to see you've joined us, though. I was a little bit iffy when two of your siblings got put into Slytherin…"

"They're not so bad," I replied. "Surely you realize that they can't _all_ be evil."

"Oh yes they can," muttered Ron.

"You know, you are being a little bit prejudiced," said Hermione. "Didn't you listen to what the hat said?"

"That we all have to be friends?" asked Harry, piling potatoes onto his plate. "Fat chance of that happening."

I saw him look up and followed his gaze to see the boy that Rose had chucked out of her compartment on the train – Draco Malfoy. He was currently trying to engage Rose in a conversation, but she was studiously ignoring him and talking to Jasper.

"Arn' oo o-in oo ee om-think?" asked Ron, his mouth full of chicken.

"I'm sorry?" I said as Hermione leaned away from Ron to avoid being splattered.

Ron swallowed so hard that I thought he might choke.

"Aren't you going to eat something? You must be starving, you didn't eat anything on the train either…"

"Oh yes," said Edward before I could reply. "It does look good."

I groaned as Edward began placing a small amount of food on his plate.

Ron took it to be a moan of pleasure, and grinned at me, gravy running down his chin.

"You're being disgusting," muttered Hermione, throwing a napkin in his face.

But I hardly noticed any of this. I was too busy staring at the horrible piece of steak and kidney pie sitting on the plate in front of me.

Grimacing, I scooped some up on a fork and put it in my mouth, swallowing as quickly as I could and trying to ignore the horrible feeling of the gob of food sliding down my throat.

Noticing Hermione watching me, I quickly put a smile on my face and went to scoop up some more.

It was then that I felt someone else's gaze on me, and I looked up to see a ghost sitting on the other side of Harry.

I almost dropped my fork, but stopped myself. We were supposed to know these things after all.

"Um, Ghosts?" I whispered, too low and fast for the humans to hear.

"Yeah," Edward whispered back. "They're all over the place, look." He gestured to the ghosts around the other tables." Then he grimaced and took another bite.

"The food is brilliant, isn't it," said Ron, finally talking without food in his mouth, trying to start a conversation with me. I was very glad for the distraction from my food.

"Yeah, great."

"Is it as good as the stuff you got in Salem?"

I laughed.

"You only have to look at Jake to see the answer to that," I said gesturing to the Hufflepuff table where Jake was shoveling food into his mouth as if the world was about to run out, while Emmett watched him in disgust.

"Is this castle very different to Salem?" asked Hermione. "Was it what you expected?"

"Erm..." I looked to Edward for help.

"It's a lot bigger," he said, "And quite a bit grander."

"Of course!" said a boy sitting a few seats down. He had bright red hair just like Ron's – this must be one of the Weasley twins, the only Weasleys let in Hogwarts that were older than Ron. "Hogwarts is the best! I'm Fred, by the way. Fred Weasley."

He stretched across a couple of people and held out his hand, which I shook.

"Wow, your hands are cold. Are you all right?"

"Yeah, fine," I said, smiling slightly.

Ron was glaring at his brother. I wonder what that's about. Shrugging it off, I turned back to Harry, while I pushed some food around my plate – no need to eat anymore than I had too.

"So, where do we sleep and stuff? I mean, I've read some books about Hogwarts, but it doesn't really go into detail…"

"Well, each house has it's own common room," said Harry. "Gryffindors is in one of the towers – we'll show you where. Then, there are dormitories attached to the common room, and that is where you sleep."

"Are people from different houses allowed in the common rooms?" asked Edward, even though I was sure he knew the answer.

"No, and the common rooms are protected by passwords so other people can't get in."

"Right. Is there anything else about the school we should know?"

For the rest of dinner, Harry, Ron and Hermione were so immersed in our conversation and giving advice ranging from avoiding Peeves to Poltergeist to which suits of armour are the most easily offended that they didn't notice that we didn't eat any dessert.

Finally the food disappeared – best moment since we had arrived, if I do say so myself – and Ron stretched out saying how ready he was for a good nights sleep. But then, Dumbledore stood up, and the whole hall went quiet.

It was rather amazing actually – no school that I had ever been to before had a teacher that had so much respect from their students.

"Well, now that we are all digesting another magnificent feast, I beg a few moments of your attention for the usual start-of-term notices," said Dumbledore. "First-years ought to know that the Forest in the grounds is out-of-bounds to students - and a few of our older students ought to know by now, too."

Dumbledore's eyes seemed to linger on the Weasley twins when he said that. It seems Remus wasn't joking when he talked about them being trouble makers.

"Mr. Filch, the caretaker, has asked me, for what he tells me is the four-hundred-and-sixty second time, to remind you all that magic is not permitted in corridors between classes, nor are a number of other things, all of which can be checked on the extensive list now fastened to Mr. Filch's office door."

Ron snorted.

"I'm sure people are just desperate to check that," he muttered, but looked sheepish the moment Hermione and Harry glared at him. Personally, though, I agreed with Ron, and from the sniggers coming from the Hufflepuff table, I could tell Emmett and Jake did too.

"We have a couple of changes in staffing this year. We are very pleased to welcome back Professor Grubbly-Plank, who will be taking Care of Magical Creatures lessons."

I noticed Ron, Harry and Hermione exchange glances about that, and I looked questioningly at Edward.

"They are worried about the old Care of Magical creatures teacher… Hagrid."

"Isn't he doing something for the Order?" I whispered back.

"Yes, he is. Those three don't know for sure, but they have their suspicions."

I turned my attention back to Dumbledore as he continued to speak.

"We are also delighted to introduce Professor Umbridge, our new Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher."

Harry's eyes widened as he looked at the woman. I didn't see anything special about her, apart from the fact that she dressed like I would imagine a colour-blind old woman might – I could hear Alice muttering about the pink cardigan from where I was sitting – but Harry seemed to recognize her from somewhere.

As usual, I turned to Edward for answers, but he was glaring at the woman with hate. She must have been thinking something awful; from the look on Edward's face I would be surprised if she survived the night.

"Yet another new addition is Professor Cullen, who will be taking over the post of Muggle-Studies teacher, as Professor Burbage is going on a very extended vacation with her family in Australia. Her husband, Healer Cullen will be working in the Hospital wing with Madame Pomfrey."

Healer Cullen… I suppose doctors must be called Healers in the wizarding world.

"Hey, are those your parents?" asked Ron.

"Yes, they are," said Edward.

Ron exchanged a glance with Harry, and Edward grimaced.

"Guessing about Carlisle and the Order again?" I asked.

Edward nodded.

Dumbledore had now began to talk about Quidditch tryouts, but was interrupted by the new Professor in the bright pink clothes. I figured that this must not be something that happened often – the other teachers, and even some of the students looked affronted.

The Slytherins, however, I noticed were looking at each other in glee. Rose and Jazz were looking about them with expressions that clearly showed they were wishing that they were in anther house.

"Hem, hem," said the woman. "Thank you, Professor Dumbledore, for those kind words of welcome."

I shuddered. Her voice was high pitched and girly, and reminded me a little too much of Victoria.

Edward, of course, noticed this and put a comforting hand on my knee under the table.

"Well, it is lovely to be back at Hogwarts, I must say!" She said with a smile. "And to see such happy little faces looking up at me!"

I rolled my eyes. She was addressing the room like it was full of three year olds. I decided that I would get a little more out of her speech if I ignored it completely. It probably wasn't the best idea, but I could see that most of the other students had started to fall asleep anyway.

I turned slightly in my seat to look over at the Hufflepuff table. Jake had his arms resting on the table, and his head on his arms, looking like he was about to fall asleep.

"…always considered the education of young witches and wizards to be of vital importance. The rare gifts with which you were born may come to nothing…"

With about one percent of my brain paying attention to the woman's speech, I turned the attention of another four percent of my brain (I always had at least ninety-five percent of my brain focused on Edward, Edward, Edward… I guess it was part of being a vampire. Or maybe it was just me...) towards my friend.

"Jacob!" I hissed. I had to speak slightly louder than I would have done if I were speaking to any other member of my family, but I was fairly certain the humans couldn't hear.

He looked up at me. I smirked.

"What?"

"You looked like you were going to fall asleep!"

"Well, so do you, and that's saying something."

I rolled my eyes.

"What do you think of everything?"

"Right pain in the-"

"Jake!" hissed Ness, joining in on the conversation.

"Sorry Ness.

"Well, if you think it's so bad you could always just leave," I said, smiling at him.

"No way. I was talking about this speech, the rest of it is awesome."

"No kidding. I just have this urge to go up and throttle that little pink toad!"

"Pink toad?"

"Don't you think she looks like a toad?"

"Yeah, I guess, but you probably shouldn't throttle her."

"Do you want to be bored out of your mind?"

"No; it's just your husband seems to be enjoying it."

I turned around to look at Edward. True, he was looking at the toad, but the look on his face was far from enjoyment – since the toad had started to speak, the intensity of his glare had heightened.

"Oh trust me," I said, turning back to Jake, "That is not what he looks like when he is enjoying himself."

"And you would know all about that, wouldn't you Bella," said Emmett.

"Jake, hit Emmett for me."

"Sure."

But Jake didn't hit him, because in a room full of humans he wouldn't have been able to hit him hard enough to make it hurt. Instead, he pulled out a chocolate frog that he must have saved from the train and held it under Emmett's nose.

"Hey!" Em couldn't move fast enough to hit Jake's hand out of the way (humans, remember?) so Jake was able to put the frog in his mouth. How he had room for it after the feast he had just consumed was beyond me.

"Thanks.

"No problem."

"You know, mutt, I thought you could have done so much better than that," said Rose.

"So did I, but there wasn't any gruel available for me to use in my hair styling services."

"Calm down guys, or some-one might notice," said Jasper.

"I think Dumbledore might be a little surprised," said Carlisle from his position at the high table. "He thought you would be paying attention to this. So far, the only one who has managed is Edward."

"Yeah, well, that's because he's a-"

"We are listening," I cut in. "She just said 'for without progress there will be stagnation and decay'."

"Listening and paying attention are two completely different things. I think Dumbledore thought you would act your age…"

"I'll act my age!" said Emmett, then he collapsed onto the table, eyes wide and glazed with his tongue hanging out.

"Oh, very mature," muttered Rose. Emmett sat up and grinned.

"Well, I do try."

"Too bad he didn't realize you are closer to a couple of eight year olds than twenty year olds," said Esme.

"Hey!"

"Oh, that's right Emmett, you're closer to five, aren't you?"

"Rosie!"

"Hey, I think the toad is about to finish…" said Renesmee, sitting up straighter.

"…some changes will be for the better, while others will come, in the fullness…"

"…or not."

"She'll finish in less than a minute."

"Thanks Alice, you just made my day."

"Emmett, was that sarcasm? I'm not sure…"

"No, I'm serious!"

"Okay…"

"While we're just sitting here," said Jasper, we should work out what we're going to do when we're here. We should have done it before, really…"

"No time," said Alice.

"Alright then, we'll just meet in the entrance hall at three, okay?" said Carlisle.

"Yep, sounds good to me."

"Three?" whined Jake. "That is so unfair. Alice kept me up almost the whole of last night… you know, some of us do need to sleep!"

"You can sleep," I said. "So can you, Ness. Alice and Emmett will tell the two of you what we say when you wake up."

"I don't want to miss out on anything!"

"Now you know how I felt," I muttered.

"Fine, come if you want," snapped Rose, "But no complaining about being tired in the morning-"

"She's going to finish in five, four…"

"…ought to be prohibited."

Not many people seemed to notice that she had finished her speech until Dumbledore started to clap – it seemed that we weren't the only ones not paying attention.

Dumbledore began once again on the topic of Quidditch tryouts, when Hermione said:

"Yes, that was very illuminating."

"It was indeed," muttered Edward as Harry and Ron started to talk to Hermione.

"Oh, are you back with us?" I asked.

Edward rolled his eyes, and gestured for me to listen to what Hermione was saying.

"It means the Ministry's interfering at Hogwarts," she said.

"You mean the Ministry hasn't done much at Hogwarts before?" I asked.

"Oh no," said Hermione, "Hogwarts has always run by itself. But the Ministry is corrupt and especially now…"

She paused and looked at Edward and I carefully.

"Have you heard about what's going on?"

I had a fairly good idea of what she was talking about, but it seemed best to look confused.

"Going on with what?" asked Edward.

"With… with You-know-who," said Hermione, lowering her voice.

"Oh," I said, glancing at Harry. He noticed this, and lowered his gaze slightly. "Yeah, we've heard about that."

"We believe you, by the way," Edward added, looking intently at Harry. "We believe that what you said happened last June actually happened. None of this may be as famous in America as it is over here, and as I'm sure you've realised, it's all been very hushed up but, we've heard and we believe you. All of us do."

"All of you?" said Ron, doubtfully. "Even the, er, blonde ones that got put in Slytherin?"

"All of us."

"Thank you," said Harry, looking up at us at last. "That means a lot to me."

Edward smiled at him just as Dumbledore told everyone that they could leave.

"Come on then!" said Ron cheerfully. "We'll show you to the common room."

"Ron! We have to take the first years!"

"Oh yeah, right. Sorry Hermione. Well then, I guess I'll see you later Harry… Bella, Edward."

"Yeah, see you," muttered Harry, looking a little disappointed.

"Do we just go with them, then?" I asked, gesturing to the group of first years.

"Nah, come with me," said Harry, standing up. "I'll show you a faster way."

Harry's way must indeed have been faster, as he led us through a heap of what must have been secret passageways – behind tapestries, or doors that were pretending to be walls. He told us which stairs to jump and which staircases we would have to watch out for – apparently, some of them led a different way depending on what day of the week it was.

Thank goodness I was a vampire – I wouldn't have lasted two seconds as a human.

Before long, we made it up to a portrait of a, er, rather _large_ lady.

"Password?" she asked.

"Er…" Harry paused, glancing at us. I shrugged and looked at Edward. He shrugged as well. I felt like whacking my head on the wall like Ness did earlier. Of course it would look strange if Edward, who apparently didn't even know where the common room was five minutes ago, knew the password when Harry did not.

Luckily, some one else did.

"Harry! I know it, I know it! I'm actually going to be ale to remember it this time- Oh, hello!" It was Neville Longbottom. His round face went slightly pink when he noticed Edward and I standing next to Harry.

"Password, Neville?" asked Harry exasperatedly.

"Oh, right! It's _Mimbulus Mimbletonia_!"

With that, the portrait swung open to reveal a hole, which Harry clambered into.

"Nice," I said appreciatively as we entered the common room. It was cosy, and very well decorated – the sort of place that Esme would love to see.

"Well, the boys dorms are there, and the girls over there… I think I'll wait here for Ron, though. Bella, You'll be in Hermione's dorm, so you can wait for her, if you like…"

"Yes, I think I will," I said. "I don't want to end up stealing some one's bed by accident."

I looked at Edward to see him looking at me, knowing we were both thinking the same thing.

Separate dorms. Ugh.

We chatted for a bit by the fire, watching other students trickle in. It was about ten minutes later before Ron and Hermione showed up with the first years trailing behind them, looking rather wet.

"Bloody Peeves," Ron muttered, standing in front of the fire after he and Hermione had directed the first years to their dormitories. "Felt the need to ambush us with buckets of water and a hose… I guess I should be glad it isn't paint."

"Peeves?" I asked. "He's the poltergeist, right?"

"Yeah. Worse than Fred and George…"

"I think he sounds rather uncreative," I said thoughtfully.

"There's my Bella," said Edward, grinning.

"What do you mean?" asked Harry with a frown.

"You should have seen what she did to Emmett a few weeks ago! Alice says Bella never carries out her threats, but…"

"Well, to be fair, I did say I was going to send his jeep to the scrap yard," I said. "Filling his shower with purple paint seemed pretty tame to me."

"What's a jeep?"

"It's a type of car, Ronald," said Hermione exasperatedly.

"You like pranking?" asked Ron doubtfully.

"Well, only when they do something really bad," I said. "I don't do it normally."

"No, normally you're all sweet and innocent," said Edward, rumpling my hair.

"Hey!" I exclaimed, ducking out of the way. Edward caught me around the waist and winked. Then I noticed Hermione watching us carefully again.

"You like pranking?" came another voice in a completely different tone to the one Ron had used.

I turned to see Fred, the boy who had shaken my hand at dinner, and who could only be his brother looking at me appreciatively.

''As I said, not all the time, only in situations of dire need."

"Fred and George consider the School's need for entertainment a situation of dire need," said Hermione. I had the feeling her opinion of me had gone down since she'd learnt of what I'd done to Emmett.

"I don't really like pranking. As I said, only for revenge when they do something _really_ bad, not just for fun, and definitely not at school."

Apparently, that had put me back in Hermione's good books.

"Why aren't you in Ravenclaw," muttered Ron.

I shrugged.

"She's too brave," said Edward in a teasing voice, but I could tell he meant it. I also knew that there had been certain occasions in the past when he wished I were a little _less_ brave.

The twins shrugged nonchalantly.

"We don't mind, we were just curious. That toad could use a bit of work… maybe we can get Peeves onto it," said George.

"Anyways, we're off to bed. See you tomorrow!" said Fred, and then they went up one of the staircases.

"What did your brother do to you, anyway?" asked Ron.

"You don't want to know," I muttered.

"Oh, go on, so I know what not to do!"

"To be honest, I really doubt you would discus certain aspects of my life in the way that he does."

The three of them looked confused, and I was rather grateful for that. Edward was snickering, probably at the conclusions they were drawing.

"Anyway," I said, "Hermione, which is our dorm?"

"I'll show you."

"All right, then. See you in the morning," I said to Edward, before stretching up to place a kiss on his lips.

The others stared at us, dumbstruck.

"Er, Hermione?"

"Oh yes, right, this way."

I smirked as I followed her up the stairs. Just before Hermione opened one of the doors, I heard Ron's confused exclamation of:

"But isn't she your _sister_?"

"So, this is our dormitory," said Hermione, not looking at me. "The bathroom is over there… This is Lavender's bed… Parvati's… mine and then yours is here, between mine and the door."

_Yes, thanks for that, Dumbledore,_ I thought to my self.

Most people would think that it is easiest for people to sneak out if they are the closest to the door so that they don't have to walk past to many beds, but that wasn't really true. I could walk so quietly a human would never know I was there, and the most important thing really was that they didn't wake in the middle of the night and notice I was gone. With a bed in the corner, away from the bathroom and the main door it would be very unlikely that they would realize I was gone.

"Thanks Hermione," I said, walking over to the four-poster. It really did look comfortable… too bad I wouldn't be able to use it.

I grinned when I looked up and caught Hermione staring at me curiously. I could tell she wanted to ask.

"Go on," I said, "Ask, I know you want to."

"How..."

"Yes?"

"How did you know I wanted to ask you something?" she asked sheepishly.

I grinned at her.

"You're just one of those people that want to know everything," I said laughing. "I can tell."

Then I caught sight of her expression, and quickly backtracked.

"Not that that's a bad thing! You're just like Edward; when you find something you want to know about, you ask, or look it up. You should have seen him when he tried to get to know me," I laughed at the memory. "It was like a psychoanalysis, he just kept throwing questions at me. And I've seen the expression that was on your face on his many times."

"Oh," she said, looking at the ground. She seemed to be thinking quite hard. "You and Edward are close then?"

"I would say so," I chuckled.

"You're adopted siblings, right?"

"Yeah, but we don't think of ourselves as siblings," I said, making a face. "That would just be weird."

"He's your boyfriend, isn't he?" I smiled at her. "I thought he was before… you guys just don't act the same way as brothers and sisters usually do. But isn't it weird? I mean, living together?"

"People have boyfriends and girlfriends at this school, right?" I asked.

"Of course, but-"

"And you all live in the same castle. If two people that were in the same house were going out with one another, wouldn't that be the same thing as living together outside of school? They'd eat together, sleep in the same building…"

"They'd be in separate dorms, though."

"Do you think our parent's would let us sleep in the same room at home?" I asked her.

"I guess not."

"Well, there you go then."

"I… I guess. But all your other siblings, Renesmee-"

"Renesmee is my sister. I treat her the same as I would Alice or Emmett. Edward and Ness are both family, I just treat them slightly different."

"Are any of your other siblings… you know…"

"Together?"

She nodded.

"Yes. In fact, we all are. Emmett and Rose, Alice and Jazz, Jake and Ness, Edward and myself."

"Wait, wait, wait," said Hermione. "Rose and… Jazz was it? Are they the ones in Slytherin?"

"Yeah. Rosalie and Jasper, they're twins."

"And they are going out with a Ravenclaw and a Hufflepuff?"

I nodded.

"Oh, but this is brilliant! It could promote inter-house unity like the sorting hat said we needed and… oh, it's a shame Edward wasn't put in Slytherin… then we could have had a Gryffindor-Slytherin relationship and-"

"A shame?" I asked. "A shame that he wasn't put in the house that you consider evil?"

"Oh, no, Bella, I didn't mean-"

"It's okay," I assured her. "I understand. But I think a Gryffindor-Slytherin relationship might be pushing it a little… I mean, I have nothing against the Slytherins, but maybe that combination just doesn't work."

"Maybe," she said. "Although, I wouldn't be so sure."

She continued to ask questions about my family for a few more minutes before she suddenly stopped and said;

"Oh, I am so sorry, I'm being really rude!"

"It's fine," I said, smiling slightly. "As I said, this has been nothing compared to what Edward was like."

In fact, considering what she could have been asking she had barely scratched the surface. Nothing she asked was anything I didn't want to share – I just had to repeat our cover story a couple of times.

"I'm getting tired now though," she said, "And you must be too. Come on, lets get some sleep or we'll miss our classes!"

I smiled at her again, and the went to change into the pyjamas I - yes _I_, not _Alice_ - had packed, and then climbed under the covers, hoping that Hermione was one of those people that fell asleep quickly.

Unfortunately, she wasn't.

It was about midnight when I felt that it was finally safe to get out of my bed and make my way to the common room, where Edward was sitting on an armchair, his head in his hands.

He looked up the moment I entered though, and dismissing all facades, I ran straight into his waiting arms.

"Hey," he chuckled.

"Hi."

"So, what do you think?"

"I think this is great! Just imagine it, tomorrow morning we get to go to actual classes and learn some real magic!"

"What do you think we've been doing these past couple of weeks?"

"That was more like tutoring though," I said. "This is actual school!"

Edward shook his head at me, then kissed me on the forehead.

"So, what did Ron say?" I asked curiously. "I heard him start, but then I was paying attention to Hermione…"

"He was surprised," he said, chuckling. "Well, surprised doesn't really cover it. He thought we were brother and sister and, well, 'I knew that purebloods married their cousins, but they don't really turn out all right, do they? And brother and sister is a lot worse than cousins, isn't it!' I told him we weren't related, but to him we were still siblings."

"And Harry?"

"He was a little disgusted at first, but decided not to judge… he understood the word 'adopted', at least."

"Good."

"Although, it was rather amusing to see what they thought when I told them Alice and Em are dating Rose and Jazz…"

"How did they take that?"

"A lot worse than Hermione. Harry was doubtful, but, as I said, he's decided not to judge until he knows more, but Ron was actually considering making a bet as to how long they would last."

"Really?"

"Yeah, he's expecting them to be separated by this morning."

"You should have taken him up on that."

"Alas, he never voiced the thought," said Edward with a very fake sounding sigh.

"I wonder if the sorting hat separates the students equally on purpose, or whether that just happens?" I mused.

"I don't know. The hat wasn't thinking that at the time."

"Wait, so you could read the hat's mind? Does it even have a mind for you to read?"

"Yes, Bella, have you never heard the phrase 'a mind of it's own'?"

"Of course, but I just thought that if it doesn't have a brain…"

"I can read the portraits to," he said, "But not photographs, it would seem. I tried in the dorm."

"Why do you think that is?"

"I don't know for sure, though I think that it's because the portraits are in the now, while photographs are just capturing an image of the past."

"Right…"

"And I can read the hat because it really does have a mind of it's own."

"Speaking of the hat, what did it say to you?" I asked.

Edward made a face.

"Oh, come on, you know what it said to everyone else!"

"Yeah, but that's different!"

"Oh, come on, you don't think I'll tease you or anything?"

"Of course not."

"And you know I won't tell Emmett."

"I know."

"And it can't be that bad, I mean, you did end up in Gryffindor, which is the same house as Harry Potter."

"Fine, I'll tell you. The hat said that I would have done really well in Ravenclaw, because I am 'such a know-it-all', but that I don't use my head when it comes to the ones I love and that I had a tendency to do stupid things when I try to protect them, rather than staying calm and thinking logically."

I couldn't help it. I started to laugh.

"Bella!"

"Sorry," I said, calming myself down, "It's just that it is completely right!"

"I thought you said you wouldn't laugh."

"Sorry," I said again, putting a hand on his cheek. "I couldn't help it."

"It's all right," he said, leaning into my hand. "I couldn't help myself when Rose went up… The hat just muttered the words 'vain' and 'shallow' and then put her straight into Slytherin."

"Of course," I said, laughing. "Cunning, ambitious, vain… it's just so _Rose_."

"She doesn't have too much of the selfishness though… as Slytherin-ish as she is, our family means everything to Rose."

"I know that only too well," I muttered. "But what I don't understand is that the hat said Slytherin only wanted 'pure-blood' wizards in his house, and I'm pretty sure that Rose and Jazz aren't pure-blood or they would have known about magic before now."

"Slytherin doesn't only except pure-bloods," said Edward. "Remember what it said in those Books Kingsley gave us to read – there are a couple of half-bloods in there as well."

"But never a Muggle-born, and we don't think Rose and Jazz are even half."

"Well no… but let's be honest, do you really think Salazar Slytherin would have thought there would be vampires coming to Hogwarts?"

"I doubt it," I said.

"And if they did, would he want them in his house?"

I thought about all the things the hat had said, and all the things I had read. Slytherin was ambitious, and if he realized how powerful vampires were… yes, he would want them in his house.

Edward could see the conclusion I had come to on my face.

"Exactly. And to top it off, we all know that Voldemort, the heir of Slytherin has nothing against dark creatures… he's recruiting werewolves and giants and Dementors after all."

"But… if he's recruiting dark creatures…" I muttered.

"He doesn't know about us," Said Edward, though his voice was wavering slightly. "You saw what Dumbledore thought of vampires before he met us. The Volturi are just too good at covering their tracks."

"Yeah," I said, relief flooding through me. "You're right."

"You know what I think the main worry is though," muttered Edward.

"What?"

"Food! I don't think I can survive a year of this…"

I shuddered, thinking of how I had to throw up my dinner while Hermione was changing.

"Yeah, me neither."

"I don't know what we're going to do about that."

"I'm sure Alice will think of something."

"Yes, we'll have to remember to ask her."

"I wonder how the others are doing," I said with a sigh, snuggling into Edward's chest. "I mean, we are so lucky we got put into the same house."

"Yes, I know," said Edward, "But I don't think the others will be staying in their common rooms every night."

"No," I said, laughing. "I guess they won't be."

* * *

><p><strong>This was meant to be a little longer, but I figured you'd rather have the chapter now. I hope you all agree with the houses I put them in. Can't wait for the next chapter... actual Hogwarts stuff... :D<br>**

**By the way, sorry if Hermione was a little OOC. I noticed as I reread it... I'll try better next time.  
><strong>

**Please review! I love your feedback!**


	6. The First Day

**Sorry for the huge delay! I know I could give you heaps of excuses, but I also know you don't want to hear/read it, so I won't. I haven't forgotten about this story and I really want to finish it. Remember that. **

**Despite just saying that I won't give any excuses, I'll just say one of the reasons for the lateness was that I had to come up with a class schedule for all of them... It was hard, and I have six missing periods for each of them (except Edward, cause he's doing a extra subject) but I did my best. Tell me if you want to see them, and If you do I'll put it in the next update. **

**Also, thanks so much to all of you that have been updating! There have just been so many! (So many for me, anyway.)  
><strong>

**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry potter of Twilight, and a couple of sentences (Prof. Trelawney's dialogue) was taken straight from Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. **

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 6<strong>

The First Day

It took us ages to find our way down to the great hall. Yeah, I know, we're vampires, we have a perfect memory! How could we get lost! But, I suppose we weren't really paying attention when Harry said that some of the staircases move.

Emmett, Jake, Jazz and Rose, whose common rooms are either on the ground floor or beneath it, were all ready in the entrance hall when we got there.

"Late much?" said Emmett.

"I swear this castle has it out to get me," I muttered as I walked over to stand next to Rose.

Alice and Ness showed up not long after that – having had the same problem as us – and then we all headed out onto the grounds.

Emmett began to run towards the large forest across the grounds, but Carlisle stopped him.

"We can't hunt in there."

"Why not?" asked Jasper.

"I'll explain in a minute," said Carlisle.

He led us out of the castle gates and through the town of Hogsmeade. On the other side of the town, there was another forest. It was smaller than the one by the school and the trees were spaced a little further apart. It looked a lot less sinister.

"Why can't we hunt in the other forest?" whined Emmett. "It looked so much more fun!"

"It felt dangerous, even for a vampire," said Esme.

"Exactly," pouted Em.

"Exactly," said Carlisle in a completely different tone. "There are sentient creatures that live in that forest – there are centaurs that would attack the school if he harmed one of them, Hags, which would also definitely become more hostile if provoked, Thestrals and Hippogriffs – if we hurt one of those we would be in big trouble – not to mention the unicorns. If we drank the blood of a unicorn we would be cursed-"

"Okay, okay," said Emmett. "I get it. No hunting in the forest."

"That's right. None of you are to go into the forest unless you are with a teacher of something, alright?"

"So… we can go if Esme comes with us?"

"No, Emmett!"

"But-"

"Lets move on, shall we?" interrupted Jake. "When are we going to hunt?"

"You don't need to hunt, Jake," said Ness.

"Neither do you."

"Yeah, but I prefer hunting."

"Ness, Jake's going to go hunting with you… I don't like the idea of you being by yourself when there are all these creatures about," said Edward.

"Dad!"

"_Anyway_, said Alice, "I think we should hunt in shifts."

"Good idea," said Carlisle, thankful for the change in topic, no matter how slight. "Alice, you and Jasper can hunt on Wednesdays, Bella and Edward, you can go on Fridays, Rose, Em, take Saturday, Ness and Jake; Sunday, and then Esme and I will go on Mondays."

"Sounds good," said Jazz.

"What about tomorrow?" asked Ness.

"What do mean?" asked Esme.

"Well, how does it all work? I mean, we've never been to a magic school before but everyone thinks we have so…"

"It's just like normal school, Ness," said Alice. "We go to breakfast, go to classes, then lunch, then classes, then spend free time in the common room or library or outside or whatever, then dinner and then go to bed. Easy. We even get weekends!"

"Wouldn't be much of a school without weekends," muttered Jake.

"And the food?" asked Em. "I don't know about you guys, but I don't really feel like eating human food all the time, but these humans may notice something-"

"Especially Hermione," I added. "She seems brighter than usual."

"She is brighter than usual," said Edward. "_A lot _ brighter."

"We'll just have to do our best," sighed Carlisle.

"And remember, we can't go into each others common rooms," said Alice, shooting a glare at Emmett, who groaned.

"Wonderful."

"So, behave yourselves, and don't do anything stupid," said Carlisle. "We are here to protect the students, and that is what we will do. If you see anything suspicious, go to Dumbledore's office and tell him."

"Where is Dumbledore's office?" I asked. For all the planning sessions we had done in London, it didn't seem like we had done much.

"I wasn't going to tell you that," said Carlisle. "It would be more believable if you can't immediately find your way around."

"We could hardly get to the entrance hall earlier, and Harry had shown us the way not two hours before! How do you expect us to find the headmaster's office with out help?"

"I can hear his mind, so I know the general direction," muttered Edward, "But that doesn't mean I can get there. We could always ask Harry, Ron and Hermione to give us a tour."

"They're going to hate me and Rose," mused Jazz. "Gryffindors hate Slytherins, remember?"

"There have been some exceptions," soothed Alice. "Remember how Sirius told us that his cousin married a Hufflepuff?"

"Yeah, that's one person in how many?"

"Severus Snape didn't seem too bad," I said.

"Please, Bella," snorted Rose, "You're not always the best judge on character. I mean, you married Edward for goodness sake!"

"Hey!" exclaimed Edward.

"She is right though Bells," said Jake, "You like everyone."

"Not everyone," I muttered.

"Well, almost everyone."

"_Anyway_," said Carlisle. "Yes – Jasper, Rosalie; the Gryffindors, Ravenclaws and Hufflepuffs will most likely hate you, but that doesn't matter. Try to be friends with the Slytherins and find out if they are up to something."

"Are you kidding?" cried Rose. "I will NOT be friends with that slimy idiot! '_Don't be like that, America. If you're in Slytherin, come see me and I'll show you around_!' I hate him!"

"Well, that's not surprising," muttered Jake.

"And then he had the nerve to ask me out!" continued Rose. "I can't _believe_ I ended up in Slytherin!"

"Uh, Rose-" started Alice, but was cut off.

"And now you expect me to be friends with him! If you think I'm going to just follow him around and kiss the ground he walks on like those little minions of his-"

"ROSE!" yelled Emmett. "If it bothers you so much, I can just beat him up for you."

Rose snorted.

"As appealing as that idea is, your _are_ a Hufflepuff and…" suddenly, Rose trailed off, a grin slowly making its way onto her face.

I simply stared at her. This was not a common occurrence… but I knew that look…

My suspicions were confirmed when Alice suddenly began to jump up and down and Edward chuckled.

"Yes, yes, yes!" chanted Alice. "Oh, this is going to be so much fun!"

"What?" asked Em. "Do I get to bash his brains in?"

"No," said Edward, "Rose has decided she is going to put Malfoy in his place."

"Say no more," said Emmett, grinning. "Rose, I knew I loved you."

"Just don't go all jealous on me, alright Babe?" said Rose, smirking at Emmett.

"What the wife wants, the wife gets."

"Wow Em, I never knew you were so intelligent," said Jasper, smirking.

"So, is that all sorted?" asked Esme.

"Yep!" said Rose. "Oh, and you guys, don't tell anyone that we're together."

"Too late," whispered Alice.

"WHAT?"

If I were still human, I would be blushing.

"Sorry!"

"We only told Harry, Ron and Hermione," said Edward.

"We never thought there would be anything wrong with it," I added.

"That's a good thing," said Alice. "They would have found out anyway, and this way they'll trust you more."

"Good."

"Well, don't tell anyone else," huffed Rose, "And don't let your friends tell anyone either."

"But Rose," I whined, "That means we won't even be able to be close in the common room, or-"

"Bella, you and Edward are the only ones who got to be in the same house, so stop complaining."

"That's not fair, Aunt Rose," said Ness. "We should be able to hold hands and stuff…"

"Nessie," sighed Rose, "It's only for a week or so… I won't be able to put up with Draco 'I'm the supreme ruler of the universe' Malfoy for very long anyway."

"What are you going to do?"

"You'll see," she winked.

"Bella, Hermione is going to wake up for a drink in half an hour, and she'll notice your not there… and Jake, Em, Ernie Macmillan is getting up in forty."

"Thanks Alice." I sighed.

"Damn Ernie," muttered Emmett, "I swear, I have never met some so pompous… he's a nice guy and all, but… seriously?"

"I know exactly what you mean," said Jake.

"We'll all go back up now," said Carlisle. "Esme and I need to locate the Headmasters office."

"And you are positive that we can't come with you?" I asked hopefully.

"I told you, it would be more suspicious."

"I know, I know."

xXx

Once again, it took us a little while to find our way to the tower, but after an encounter with a agitated suit of armor, a sleeping portrait, a fake door, Peeves and an irritated Fat Lady we made it back to the common room.

I ran up to my bed and lay there while Hermione got herself a drink, and then headed back down to Edward. For several hours we just stared into each other's eyes, curled up together on an armchair near the fire.

When Edward 'heard' a couple of nervous first years wake up, we kissed goodbye and wandered back up to our dormitories.

I hoped this would be the routine for most nights… I got bored after lying in that bed for ten minutes. Deciding it wasn't to late to 'wake up', I climbed out of bed, grabbed my school robes out of my suitcase and got changed in the bathroom. I noticed that the uniform was slightly different than when we bought it… of course, Alice didn't approve of the wizard's style in clothing, and had altered it a little.

The skirt, which used to be knee length, had been cut rather a lot shorter. The shoes had been made a less bulky – I didn't think they were even the same shoes – and the robes were somehow more fitted. I hope Alice knew what she was doing… I was sure this wasn't allowed.

"Morning," I said as I walked out of the bathroom.

"Ugh," muttered Hermione, "How can you be happy so early?"

"You know, I would have thought you were a morning person," I chuckled.

"Why?" yawned Hermione as she dug around in her trunk.

"I dunno. I just did."

"By the way," said Hermione, looking at me disapprovingly, "What did you do to your uniform?"

"I didn't do anything to it! It was my sister!"

"Which one?"

"Alice."

"Why did your sister find it necessary to alter _your_ uniform?"

"She's a fashion freak," I said, waving a hand.

I waited while Hermione finished getting changed, then we wandered down the staircase. I noticed she didn't have a bag with her, so I didn't take one down either.

"How do we know which books to take down?" I asked.

"They'll give us a schedule at breakfast, and then we'll come back up here for our books. Every other morning I just take my books to breakfast with me."

"Oh, right."

"By the way, what subjects are you doing?"

"Transfiguration, Charms-"

"No, no, no, I mean what elective subjects have you chosen?"

"Divination and Care of Magical Creatures."

"Divination? Really? Why?"

"Alice was doing it and, well-"

"Ah, okay then. Just so you know it's a terrible subject. Care of Magical creatures isn't really the best either, but don't tell anyone I said that. Hagrid, the professor, is very nice, but he always picks rather dangerous creatures."

"Isn't Hagrid the one that was away?"

"Yes." Hermione looked slightly uncomfortable, but by now we were in the common room so I couldn't ask her about it.

"Hey," said Edward, walking over to me. I smiled at him but didn't do anything else, remembering what Rose had said before.

"Hey. Morning Harry, Ron," I nodded to the two boys.

"Morning Bella," said Harry, while Ron stared at me, eyes wide. I heard Edward's teeth snap together.

"Well, are we just going to stand here or shall we go to breakfast?" asked Hermione.

"Breakfast, I think," I said, and then followed Hermione out of the portrait hole.

It amazed me how easily they could walk around the castle, even though I knew they had spent four years here already. The staircases had changed _again_, but they hardly seemed to notice.

"So, Hermione, what subjects do you do?" I asked, trying to restart the conversation.

"Arithmancy, Study of Ancient Runes and Care of Magical Creatures."

"Same as Edward then," I said, smiling. We hadn't picked our own subjects, we had just been told which ones we were doing. I figured Dumbledore must have put us in the same classes as the trio. My suspicions were confirmed when Hermione said:

"And you've got the same and Harry and Ron."

"Cool," I said, "I'll have some-one I know in every class."

"Well, you probably would anyway; all your siblings are in different houses, and each class is with another house, so you would have some of your siblings in your class anyway."

When we entered the Great Hall, all talking stopped and they stared at us.

"What are they thinking?" I whispered.

"We are the first ones in our family to make it down here, so naturally they stare." Edward whispered back.

"Yeah, but what are they thinking?" I repeated.

"Some of them are just wondering why we came here – Hogwarts hasn't had a foreign student come in the middle of their education in years – and some of them are planning how they will ask you out."

"I'm sure they want to ask you out to."

"But that doesn't bother me."

"It bothers me, though."

We sat down at the Gryffindor table and scooped some food onto our plates. I was not looking forward to this…

"You know, every one is staring at you," said Ron.

"Yeah, we know," Edward said, while Hermione whacked Ron over the head.

I smiled.

"We're the shiny new toys."

Harry laughed.

"You know, you could probably stop the staring if you showed them that you're together," said Hermione thoughtfully. "I mean, clearly the reason they are all staring is because-"

"That would just make it worse," I said. "Please, don't tell anyone. We shouldn't have told you but…" I trailed off, and Edward cut in.

"It's just so easy to be ourselves around you," he said with a smile. "We feel comfortable with you."

Hermione smiled.

"Alright, we won't tell anyone." Then she frowned. "But why would it make it worse?"

"Because everyone thinks we are siblings. You guys didn't take it so well yesterday, and you are open minded… imagine what the rest of the school will think," explained Edward.

"True," said Harry.

"And then there's the fact that Rose wants to teach mister 'weasel-faced-git' a lesson," I added.

"Weasel-faced-git?" asked Ron. "Who's that?"

"The boy that came into our compartment on the train," I said.

"Malfoy?" asked Harry. When Edward and I nodded, Harry and Ron burst out in laughter.

"Your sister is brilliant!" yelled Ron, attracting a little it of attention which caused his ears to turn red. "I mean, it's pretty close to what happened last year…"

"Only then he would be a 'ferret-faced-git'," chuckled Harry. Edward had obviously seen what they were talking about in their minds as he was trying to control his laughter, but I didn't have a clue.

"What are they talking about?" I asked Hermione.

"Our old Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher transfigured Malfoy into a ferret last year," she said with a shrug. "It was fairly amusing, but very irresponsible on Professor, er, Moody's part."

"_Fairly amusing_?" asked Ron. "Hermione, it was bloody hilarious!"

"Which sister was this?" asked Harry.

"She said before Harry," said Hermione before I could reply.

"Yeah, but I was a little distracted listening to the insult at the time."

"Rose," I said.

"Rose is the one with the red hair, right?" asked Ron.

"Ness's hair is not red," I muttered, but they didn't hear me.

"No, Rose is blonde," said Edward. Ron's face paled as Hermione sniggered.

"Oh. Well, I mean, the insult was all right, but…"

"I thought you said it was 'brilliant'," said Harry, smirking.

"What?" I asked, confused.

"Your sister is a Slytherin," said Harry.

"So?"

"Gryffindors don't like Slytherins."

"Not all Slytherins are bad," I said.

"And Rose _does_ want to teach Malfoy a lesson," added Edward.

"What sort of lesson?" asked Ron.

"Look." Edward gestured to the door just as Rose came gliding through it. Walking next to her was Draco Malfoy, looking very smug.

"See?" said Ron, "She's fraternizing with him already."

"Teaching him a lesson," I repeated.

"How?"

"You'll see," I grinned, watching as Malfoy sat down next to Rose. She looked up and winked at me.

"Right…"

"BELLA!" I winced as a very familiar voice wafted through the door. Less than a second later a rather angry pixie appeared.

"What?" I muttered. Harry looked at me strangely.

"You know she can't hear you."

"I know," I muttered, leaning back so I was hidden behind Edward. "I don't want her too."

"ISABELLA SWAN!"

Edward chuckled.

"Oh, shut up," I said, whacking him on the arm. It seemed like the whole hall was staring at me again, and I wanted nothing more than to disappear. Alice was now stomping – there really is no other word to describe it – down the aisle between the tables, headed straight for me.

"What did I do now?" I asked.

"What have you done to your uniform?" she growled as she stood in front of me with her hands on her hips.

"I didn't do anything, Alice! You're the one that altered it!"

"You know that's not why I'm here!" she hissed, to quietly for the humans to hear. Then louder, she said; "You know what, Bella. Look at yourself!"

"What did I do?" I asked again in normal tone. She answered in a whisper.

"I saw you deciding to be Harry's partner in Divination! How could you do that to me, Bella!" She raised her voice – "You have all the buttons on your shirt done up, and your tie is tightened!"

I rolled my eyes.

"Look around you Alice, that is the was we are supposed to dress. And all your buttons are done up too." I smirked.

"That's completely different and you know it!" growled Alice. "And you didn't apologize."

"Don't worry Alice, I'll be your partner in Divination," I whispered.

"Good."

"But, I am not changing the way I wear my clothes."

"I'll get you for this, Bella," she growled. "I put all that effort into altering those clothes-"

"I never asked you to!"

"-And you don't even wear them properly?"

"I am wearing them properly!"

"And your skirt is not even-"

"Alice! Why don't you go and eat breakfast?" said Edward.

"Good idea," said Ness, dancing up to us. She gave me a apologetic look, before grabbing Alice's arm and dragging her to the Ravenclaw table. "C'mon Alice, let's go eat."

"I haven't forgotten about this Bella!" yelled Alice.

I groaned and rested my head on the table.

"I hate her," I muttered. "I really, really do."

"Don't you think that's a bit harsh?" asked Harry, chuckling.

"You've never had siblings," I muttered.

Harry's face fell, and I immediately backtracked.

"Oh, I'm sorry, I didn't mean-"

"It's alright, Bella," he said, smiling slightly.

"She's right though," said Ron, "Siblings are a right pain in the-"

"Hey Bells!"

I groaned pressed my forehead into Edward's shoulder.

"Kill me now."

"Sorry love," chuckled Edward. "And Emmett, I would leave if I were you."

"Geeze, I'm just saying good morning. I'll just have to go and talk to Ness… She seems to be the only one that likes me at the moment." Thankfully, Emmett sauntered over to the Ravenclaw table. It's not like I didn't like him or anything, it was just...

"Why do they keep coming over here?" I asked.

Edward looked away.

"Edward?"

"Emmett is your brother Bella," said Hermione. "He probably just wanted to check on you, you know, first day of school and all."

"He was worried about me, wasn't he?" I asked Edward quietly. "They were all worried about me."

"Yes," he sighed.

"But I'm fine!"

"I know, Bella, your control is exceptional. But they love you, so naturally they worry. It was the same for me in Forks."

"This isn't even my first time through school since…"

"I know."

"What are you whispering about?" asked Ron, earning himself another slap over the head from Hermione. Luckily, McGonagall came around and handed out schedules at that point, so we didn't have to answer.

"You have _got_ to be kidding me," groaned Ron as he glanced as his schedule. "Binns, Snape, Trelawney and that Umbridge woman all in the same day! That has to be the worst Monday I have ever seen!"

"Can I see you schedule, Bella?" asked Hermione. I nodded and passed it to her. I had already memorized it. You've got to love vampire memory.

"You have exactly the same schedule as Harry and Ron," said Hermione.

"Brilliant!" grinned Ron, reaching across the table to give me a high five. Then Hermione glanced and Edward's schedule. "And you have the same as me!"

"Hey, Edward, Bella," said Jasper as he slid in beside us. Every Gryffindor sitting near us seemed to freeze. This was unheard of. A Slytherin with the Gryffindors.

"Hey Jazz," said Edward.

"Why are you over here?" I asked.

"Rose is talking to that little weasel-"

"Ferret," I giggled.

"What?"

"Never mind, Jazz, continue."

"Okay then... Well, Rose is talking to him, but she doesn't want me to talk to Alice, and there is no way I was going to go and sit next to Emmett and Jake…"

"I don't blame you," I muttered.

"Well anyway, I'm Jasper Hale." Jazz turned to smile and Harry, Ron and Hermione. "Nice to meet you." He held out his hand. Harry and Ron stared at it, but Hermione reached out tentatively to shake it.

"Nice to meet you Jasper, I'm Hermione Granger."

"Harry Potter," said Harry, but he didn't move to shake Jazz's hand.

Ron didn't say anything.

"So, what class do you guys have first?" asked Jasper, trying to diffuse some of the tension.

"History of Magic," I said. "Then Potions."

"Well, I have Defense Against the Dark Arts first, but we have potions second as well. Does that mean we'll be in the same class?" he asked, looking at Hermione.

"Probably," she sighed, "We always seem to have potions with the Slytherins."

"Is that a bad thing?" asked Jasper, looking at Hermione curiously.

"Are you kidding?" snorted Ron. "Snape favors his own house, and Slytherins are slimy gits."

"I agree," sighed Jazz, and the trio looked at him in amazement. "I wish I was in a different house. They are all starting to get on my nerves."

"Your not too bad then," laughed Harry.

"I guess not," grinned Jazz.

"Told you so," I muttered, and Ron looked sheepish.

"Doesn't mean I trust you though," he said, wagging a finger at Jazz.

"I don't blame you. From what I've seen in just a couple of hours… I mean, the way Malfoy was bad mouthing you guys would be enough to show what sort of a terrible person he was, even of he wasn't being a right prat towards my sister. I can't wait to see what Rose is going to do to him…"

"It'll be epic," grinned Edward.

"Er, we'd better get to class," said Hermione. I nodded.

"See you in potions then," sighed Jazz, as he stood up to go and join Rose again.

"Good luck with Umbridge," muttered Harry.

"Thanks," smiled Jasper, and then he walked off.

"Okay, he wasn't _too_ bad," said Ron. "But he's still a Slytherin."

I rolled my eyes.

We hurried up to the dormitories to grab our books, and then followed the trio to the History of Magic classroom.

"Eddie! Bells!"

"You have got to be kidding me."

"How many times, Emmett? Don't call me Eddie!"

"Well, maybe History of Magic will be a little more entertaining this year," muttered Ron.

"What do you mean?" I asked. "Surely History of Magic is interesting?"

"Are you kidding?" asked Harry. "It's the most boring thing in the world. Most people use it to catch up on sleep. Mind you, it's probably going to be the best lesson of the day, what with Snape, Trelawney and Umbridge later..."

"It is interesting," huffed Hermione.

"Yeah, but you're the only one in the class that is immune to the magic powers of Binns' voice," muttered Ron.

"Magic powers?" I asked dubiously.

"It's like Harry said, he can put anyone to sleep."

"I sincerely doubt that," I muttered, grinning.

"So, how's things?" asked Jake, slipping between Edward and I and wrapping an arm around my shoulders. Mutters erupted from several of the students.

"Great Jake, now get your arm off me, you stink!"

"Aww Bells that hurt! It's not like you smell so great either!"

"Jake!" I whacked him on the arm, perhaps a little harder than I should have done.

"Ow!"

"How about we go into class?" asked Hermione.

"Good idea," I said.

Edward walked into the room and sat down. I was just about to sit next to him when Emmett stole my spot.

"Emmett," I whined.

"Bella," he whined back.

"Get out of my seat!"

"It's my seat, I was here first!"

"No, you weren't!"

"Yes I was!"

"Okay Emmett, you can stay there, but I'm going to move," said Edward. Emmett grabbed his shoulder. He wasn't pushing him down, because that would have broken the chair, but he was holding him in place.

"Emmett," I growled.

"Please Bella, I really don't want to sit next to Jake! I'm stuck in almost all his classes and he's in my dorm and-"

"Fine. Sit there."

"Thanks Bells! You're my favorite sister!"

"It's okay, Bella, you can sit next to me!" said Jake. I stuck my tongue out at him, and went to sit next to Hermione, who was sitting behind Harry and Ron and next to Edward and Em. Jake sat with a Hufflepuff girl I had never seen before, who seemed to be overjoyed.

"So, is this class really as boring as everyone makes it out to be?" I asked Hermione.

"Honestly, yes," she said. "But I have to pay attention.. I don't want to fail this class."

"Fair enough," I said.

I was a little surprised when Professor Binns entered the classroom through the blackboard; he was a ghost, you see. But I remembered what Edward had told me about the ghosts last night and all the stuff in the books I had read.

That was the most interesting part of the lesson – Ron was right, it was incredibly boring, and if there were anyone in the world with a voice that could put a vampire to sleep, it would be Professor Binns.

"That was even more boring than listening to Alice talk about shopping," groaned Em as we walked out of the classroom.

"What do you have next?" I asked.

"Care of Magical Creatures. Hey, do you guys know where we have to go for that?"

"Outside, near Hagrid's cabin," said Harry.

"Thanks!" said Emmett. "I think Jake is going to enjoy this class!"

"Hey, you're a magical creature too, you know!" replied Jake.

"Uh, what?" asked Ron, while Hermione frowned.

"Well, technically all wizards are 'magical creatures', aren't they," snickered Emmett, throwing a quick apologetic glance at Edward and I. "I was teasing Jake about it last night. But what I _actually_ meant was that Ness is going to be in this class."

Edward and I glared at him.

"Oh, right," said Ron.

"What do you guys have?" asked Jake.

"Potions," groaned Harry, "With the Slytherins."

"Oh, I wish I could trade," sighed Emmett. "I don't have a class with Rosie until tomorrow, I checked with Jazz. Then again, I don't really want to be there while she chats up that little weasel."

"What is it with you guys and weasels?" muttered Ron.

"You know Rose would kill you for talking about that in the hallways?" said Edward.

"Yeah, yeah," said Emmett, waving a hand. "But I couldn't really care."

"Some boyfriend you are," muttered Hermione.

"I know, I'm just the best," grinned Emmett, puffing out his chest. I rolled my eyes, an action I seemed to be repeating rather often today.

We spent break standing in the courtyard chatting. Alice and Ness joined us after a couple of minutes; they had just had Defense Against the Dark Arts with the Slytherins – apparently the teacher was absolutely awful and had made them read the text book the entire time.

When it was time for class again, we parted ways with Em, Jake and Ness - who wandered out to the grounds – and Alice, who skipped off to Arithmancy, while we headed down to the dungeons.

"I really hate it down here," commented Ron. "It makes the atmosphere even more gloomy, don't you think?"

"Wow, Weasley, I never realized you knew such words," said a sneering voice.

"Shut up, Malfoy," growled Ron.

I looked over my shoulder to see Malfoy walking behind us, Rosalie standing next to him, receiving a lot of glares from one of the Slytherin girls.

"Hey," said Jazz, walking up to Edward and I.

"Hey Jazz," said Edward, then he winced, probably at some one's thoughts.

"Why are you talking to them, Hale?" snarled Malfoy. "Get back here."

"They are my siblings," said Jasper.

"They are Gryffindors."

It reminded me of my conversation with Ron and Harry this morning.

"So? They are my family."

"You don't see Rose over there, do you?"

Rose winced. I looked at her sympathetically. Sure, she had brought it on herself, but that didn't make it any easier.

"I'm not my sister."

"Obviously."

Luckily, Snape chose that moment to open the door. He looked disapprovingly at Jasper and Edward for some reason, then told us all to enter. Edward and I sat at the same table and Harry, Ron and Hermione this time. We were rather surprised when Jazz joined us.

"Aren't you supposed to be making friends with Malfoy and the other Slytherins?" I asked quietly.

"I talked to Carlisle this morning; Rose has it covered. I can't deal with their emotions… they are worse than the humans in any other school we've been to."

"Really? In what way?"

"They are full of hatred, malice, and sick humor… I just… it reminds me of…"

"It's fine Jazz," said Edward, and I realized that it was Jasper's thoughts that he had winced at earlier.

"Why aren't you sitting with them?" asked Ron, interrupting us as he gestured to the other Slytherins. It was obvious he didn't want Jasper there.

"I told you this morning, they are ten shades of horrible," said Jasper, shuddering.

"Well, you are welcome to sit with us whenever you want," said Hermione kindly.

"Thank you," said Jasper.

"What I don't get is why you ended up in Slytherin when you hate it so much," mused Hermione. "I mean, the Sorting Hat has to put you where you belong, but you obviously don't belong in Slytherin. And I mean, the hat takes your choices into account to."

I noticed how Harry shifted slightly as she said that.

"Maybe it has to sort everyone evenly?" asked Ron. He had n idea how right he was.

"It doesn't," said Hermione. "It just usually ends up doing it. I read in a book that once – I think it was 1352 – there were no Slytherin students sorted."

"Really?" asked Ron incredulously.

"Yes."

"How I wish I had gone to school back then…"

"Quiet!" said Professor Snape, and that was the end of that conversation.

The potion he made us concoct was very tricky; harder than anything we had made back in London. Making potions was not something that we could do simply by being a vampire, but we were able to be more precise than the humans, which helped a lot. Also, following instructions came easy, and Edward, Jasper and I (And I assume Rosalie) managed to make potions that were pretty close to perfect. Hermione was the only other student in the class that made something similar to ours – in fact, she had made it exactly right – and when Snape looked at it, he merely sniffed and walked away.

"What?" I whispered. "No house points, or even a 'well done'? Hermione, your potion is perfect!"

"Well, it could be better I suppose…"

"Oh please," huffed Harry. "Your potions are always perfect." Then he turned to us. "If Snape doesn't say anything, it's a good thing. It means he has nothing to criticize."

"Some teacher," muttered Jasper.

"You have nothing to worry about," said Ron, "you're a Slytherin."

"Do you have to remind me of that fact every second of the day?" asked Jasper.

Our conversation was cut short as Snape walked over, informed Harry that he was getting a zero, vanished his potion and stalked off.

"What?" Jasper said, possibly a little to loud. "His potion is no worse than his over there-" He gestured to a Slytherin boy who's potion had exploded when he'd tried to put it in a vial "- and yet it is to Harry that you give a zero? How is that fair?"

"Mr. Hale, I suggest you refrain from speaking to me in that tone," said Snape, his eyes blazing.

"Some teacher," said Jasper again.

"One more word and you will be in detention," snarled Snape.

Jasper gave Snape the hardest glare he could muster. He looked terrifying, even to me. Snape's hard mask faltered, but he did not step back.

"I'd watch it if I were you," said Snape, before he walked back to his desk.

Harry, Ron and Hermione stared at Jazz.

"I think that's a first," muttered Ron. "I've always wanted to see what would happen if a Slytherin stood up to Snape. There's the answer. No points taken off but a threat of detention, I guess it makes sense…"

"Why did you do that?" asked Harry.

"He was being totally unfair," muttered Jasper.

"I'm used to it," sighed Harry.

Suddenly, Edward grinned.

"What?" I asked him. He leaned in and whispered in my ear.

"Jasper is thinking of a time when his history essay on the civil war received a C… his teacher was biased towards the Union."

I couldn't help it. I laughed.

The others looked at me like I was crazy.

"Sorry," I said. Jazz glared at me. "Sorry," I said again. Jasper rolled his eyes, and his face softened a little.

"It's fine."

When we sat in the Great Hall for Lunch, Jasper sat with us again, like he did at breakfast. Also like breakfast, we managed to get out of eating y hiding our food when no one was looking. It was tricky, but we managed it.

After lunch, Edward and I split up. I was going to Divination with Harry and Ron, while he was off to Study of Ancient Runes with Hermione and Jasper.

"Hey, wait up!"

I sighed. Alice.

"I will not be able to find my way to this classroom. Harry, Ron, could you help me find it?" she asked sweetly. I rolled my eyes. Again.

"Let's go."

"So, where is the classroom?" I asked after ten minutes of walking. "I'd better stick with you guys for a couple of weeks – I'll never find my way to this classroom again."

Harry laughed.

"The north tower."

"Furthest class away from the great hall," muttered Ron. "It's just our luck to have Divination right after Lunch."

"At least you don't have it right after potions. That's in the dungeons, right?" asked Alice. "The dungeons are even further away from the north tower than the great hall."

"True," panted Ron, "But positive thinking still doesn't make the distance any shorter."

When we finally made it there – not that I was tired, but the boy's panting was getting kind of annoying, and their hearts were beating so loudly i their chest... I could hear their blood rushing through their body... no Bella, think of something else... – it was to find a small circular room with nothing in it at all.

"Um, this isn't much of a classroom," I muttered. Alice burst out laughing.

"Silly Bella! This isn't the classroom! There's a trap door up there, and a ladder will be lowered, and then we climb up to the classroom!"

"Oh, right," I said, scowling as Ron and Harry chuckled. "Hey, this is my first day here, okay?"

"Sure," said Ron, still laughing.

"So, Divination, huh?" I said, nudging Alice. "This'll be fun."

Alice grinned.

"Are you kidding me?" asked Harry. "Fun? Divination?"

"Are you sure you're feeling okay?" asked Ron. "I mean, first you thought History of Magic was interesting, and now you think Divination will be _fun_…"

"Oh, but it will be," said Alice, laughing. I laughed along with her. The boys just looked at us like we were crazy.

"O-kay."

"No really. Wait and see," I said, winking at them. Ron's eyes widened and he stared at me open mouthed.

Suddenly, a ladder dropped down from the ceiling, and Harry climbed up it. I followed after him.

The room was larger than the one below, and it was full of armchairs, pouffes and spindly tables. The air was so thick with incense it made me want to gag.

"Good-day," said a misty voice as we took our seats. I glanced over to see Professor Trelawney. With all her shawls and her giant glasses, I thought she looked a little bit like an insect. "And welcome to Divination: to those of you that are not new, welcome back. I have, of course, been following your fortunes most carefully over the holidays, and am delighted to see that you have all returned to Hogwarts safely - as, of course, I knew you would."

Alice snorted.

"Liar," she whispered. Trelawney's head snapped up to look at her, but the she seemed to decide that it was best to ignore Alice and keep talking.

"You will find on the tables before you copies of The Dream Oracle, by Inigo Imago. Dream interpretation is a most important means of divining the future and one that may very probably be tested in your OWL."

"That could be hard for us," I whispered to Alice, and she giggled.

"Not, of course, that I believe examination passes or failures are of the remotest importance when it comes to the sacred art of divination. If you have the Seeing Eye, certificates and grades matter very little."

"Do you think I have the 'seeing eye'?" whispered Alice, looking thoughtful. This time, I had to hold in a giggle.

"However, the Headmaster likes you to sit the examination, so…"

I saw Harry and Ron glance at each other, and then look away, trying to hold in laughs. So we weren't the only ones, then.

"Turn, please, to the introduction and read what Imago has to say on the matter of dream interpretation. Then, divide into pairs. Use The Dream Oracle to interpret each others most recent dreams. Carry on."

"Want to be my partner, Bella?" asked Harry, a smile tugging on the corners of his mouth.

"Hmm…" I said, stroking my imaginary beard.

"Isabella Swan, don't you dare," hissed Alice.

"You're right, I'm sorry Harry, I can't be your partner," I said. Alice looked relieved. Then I grinned. "Hey Ron, how about it?"

Harry and Ron burst out laughing while Alice glowered.

"Aw, come on Alice, you know I wouldn't do that to you!" I chuckled.

Trelawney heard, and this time she didn't ignore us.

"How are you going?" she asked in a clipped tone.

"We were just starting," I said.

"Well, carry on then! Be sure to open your minds!"

"Crazy," sighed Ron, reaching for a book. "Okay, Harry, what have you been dreaming about?"

I noticed how Harry suddenly tensed, all traces of laughter gone from his face. Ron didn't seem to notice.

"Can't you go first?" Harry asked.

"I never remember my dreams," sighed Ron.

"Make something up then," I suggested. Ron looked at me, but I wasn't looking at him. I was still looking at Harry.

Harry smiled at me gratefully as Ron rattled off some dream about playing Quidditch.

"So, Bella," smirked Alice. "What did you dream about last night?"

I sighed dramatically.

"Well, I was outside in this forest, when I saw a mountain lion-"

"A mountain lion?" asked Alice, amused.

"Yep, a mountain lion. And so I began chasing after it-"

"Why would you chase after a lion?" asked Ron. I looked at him and the tips of his ears turned red. "I don't mean- er, I'm sorry for butting in-"

"Nah, it's fine. I know I have strange dreams."

"Keep going Bella," whined Alice impatiently.

"So, I was following this mountain lion, and it lead me to a cave. You were in there-"

"Oh, you were dreaming about me, that's so sweet," cooed Alice, and I glared at her, deciding on how to finish my 'dream'. Then she glared at me.

"Bella…"

"You were in the cave with lots of other animals, forcing them to wear dresses and make-up. So I called the RSPCA, but Jasper came instead. He said that he had to arrest you for animal cruelty and then Rose appeared and told you that the skirt and the tank top you put the hyena in didn't match, and then you turned into a giant bear and ate everything in sight."

Alice glared at me while Ron and Harry cracked up again.

"That's one strange dream, Bella," said Harry.

"I know," I grinned.

"Really," said Trelawney. "We are in a classroom!" She came back over to us, and asked Alice to interpret my dream.

Alice said it meant that I was going to have a rather large makeover that night.

Professor Trelawney was not amused.

She asked me what I thought it meant.

I told her it meant I was going to be murdered by my own sister.

She was very impressed.

Then she turned to Alice.

"My dear, I am afraid you do not have _the sight_," she said. "You can try to learn, but books can't teach you much in this area unless you have the right gift for it."

I held my breath. This wasn't going to be pretty….

"WHAT? You think I do not have the ability of foresight? I'll show you not having the ability of foresight…"

Alice stood up and moved to the front of the room, effectively gaining everyone's attention. Then she closed her eyes.

"What is she doing?" asked Harry.

"You'll see," I said, smiling.

"Is this what you meant when you said the lesson was going to be fun?" asked Ron.

"I thought something like this might happen, yes," I said.

Then Alice started to speak.

"Neville Longbottom will fall off his chair in three minutes and thirty seven seconds. The lamp to my right will go out in two minutes and twelve seconds. An owl will fly past the window in five minutes and twenty eight seconds. Parvati Patil will fall down the stairs on her way to Defence Against the Dark Arts no matter how hard she tried not to, and Draco Malfoy will arrive at dinner exactly five minutes after Harry Potter does. Oh, and it's going to rain later tonight."

Everyone stared at her in silence.

"Sorry," she said, shaking her head. "I don't know what came over me… I'll just go sit back down now."

"Well, go on," said Trelawney, the misty quality of her voice gone. "Get back to work!"

No one did anything though. They were all staring at the lamp. And sure enough, it went out.

"Two minutes and twelve seconds," said Dean Thomas quietly. "I timed it."

"Three minutes, thirty seconds," whispered Seamus not long after. Sure enough, a couple of seconds later Neville shifted in his seat and fell off.

And a couple of minutes after that, an owl flew past the window, and Dean announced that it had indeed been five minutes and twenty-eight seconds.

"Amazing," whispered Lavender Brown to Parvati. Parvati didn't answer though; she was looking kind of pale.

"Alice," I groaned as we walked out of the classroom and towards the staircase.

"Sorry!" she said. "She was just getting on my nerves!"

"It's alright," I sighed. "We can put it down to Emmett feeding you something strange yesterday morning."

Alice concentrated for a moment.

"Yes, that will work! The only person that will be a little sceptical is Hermione, but everyone else will believe it! Thank you Bella!"

I sighed as she ran off to Herbology, and then turned around on the stairs to ask Harry how to get to the Defense Against the Darks arts classroom.

However, Lavender, who was walking behind me didn't expect me to stop, and she stumbled, grabbing Parvati for support. Parvati swayed and fell down the steps, Lavender only just preventing herself from falling by grabbing the banister.

"Bloody hell," said Ron. "Does that pixie know everything?"

"Nah," I said. "Em fed her a strange potion yesterday before we got on the train. We didn't know what it would do and he wanted to know…"

"That's dangerous," said Harry.

"Yeah, I know," I sighed, "But that's Emmett for you."

* * *

><p><strong>And there you have it! Next chapter will be the DADA class... I'm looking forward to writing that one!<br>**


	7. Theoretical Defense

**Finally, I've finished the chapter! I've been writing this on and off for ages! Sorry about that!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter or Twilight. Oh, and again, a bit of dialogue came straight from Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix.**

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 7<strong>

Theoretical Defense

When we walked into the Defence Against the Dark Arts classroom, Professor Umbridge was already sitting at her desk. Everyone was quiet when they entered the room.

I had noticed that the students all reacted differently to different classes and teachers. For example, everyone was noisy and yet somewhat subdued when they went into Binns' classroom. They were quiet and apprehensive before potions and once again loud before Divination.

I figured they were probably waiting to see what sort of a teacher Umbridge was. I didn't have very high hopes though… she just seemed like the type of person that wasn't hard to hate. But I didn't want to judge purely on appearances. I would have to wait until the end of the class before I decided on what she was like.

"Well, good afternoon!" piped Umbridge. Everyone stared at her, and some mumbled good afternoon back, but very unenthusiastically. I couldn't blame them. She was treating us like we were three year olds.

"Tut, tut," said Umbridge, looking at the class disapprovingly. I thought the expression suited her perfectly. "That wasn't a very happy greeting! When some one says good afternoon to you, you are expected to say good afternoon back. Let's try again, shall we? Good afternoon class!"

"Good afternoon professor Umbridge," we chanted. I saw Emmett huff out of the corner of my eye, and Edward grinned.

"Bit of a hit in the ego, Em?" I asked quietly.

"He's not the only one," smirked Edward, gesturing to Jacob.

"That's better!" said Umbridge, unaware of our interaction. "Wands away, please, and take out your copies of _Defensive Magical Theory_, by Wilbert Slinkhard, as well as some parchment and a quill."

All the students groaned. I went out on a limb and assumed that the request for 'wands away' never resulted in what they would consider a fun lesson.

"Now, first of all I would like you to write out the course aims, which are-" she waved her wand "-on the board. You have two minutes to complete this task. Chop, chop!"

Edward let out a low hiss.

"What?" I asked.

"Look at the aims," he said.

I glanced at the board for second; that being all the time I needed to read the course aims.

"What's wrong with them?"

"Don't just look at them, Bella," said Edward, rolling his eyes. "_Read_ them."

"I did!"

"Then read them again."

"Fine."

"Now do you see it?"

"See what?"

"Bella…"

I huffed, and turned to the board to read the aims for a third time. Despite my being a vampire, I still seemed to take longer than Edward to grasp something.

_1. Understanding the principles underlying defensive magic._

_2. Learning to recognize situations in which defensive magic can legally be used._

_3. Placing the use of defensive magic in a context for practical use._

By now, most of the class had finished copying the aims down, and Umbridge had told everyone to read their textbook. Edward hadn't moved though. Neither, I noticed, had Hermione.

Well, she had moved, but she wasn't reading. She was sitting there with her hand in the air.

_She_ seemed to have realized what was wrong with the course aims.

"Edward, I still don't…" Edward looked at me disbelievingly. Then I paused, and looked down at the title of my text book.

Then I looked at the board.

Then back at the textbook.

_Defensive magical _Theory_…_

…_understanding the _principles_ underlying defensive magic…_

_Learning to _recognize_ situations…_

…_magic in a _context_ for practical use…_

"Oh…"

"Now you get it. Really, Bella."

"Did you want to ask something about the chapter, dear?" Umbridge asked. My head snapped up, afraid she'd caught us talking – well, not afraid, but you get what I mean – but she was looking at Hermione.

Yeah, I was right. Hermione noticed everything about the course aims.

"There is nothing in the course aims that mentions actually using magic," she said.

"Using magic? Why would you need to use magic in my class?"

"Oh, I don't know," muttered Jake. "Maybe because we are in a Defense Against the Dark Arts class, where we are supposed to practice Defensive Magic? Or did I get the wrong class?"

"I'm sorry," said Umbridge in a sickly sweet voice as she spun around to look at Jacob. "Did you say something?"

"Don't!" hissed Edward as Jake opened his mouth to reply. Jake stared at Edward for a second, then closed his mouth again and shook his head.

"I didn't think so," said Umbridge, before turning back to Hermione.

"There is no need for you to practice magic while you are in this room. Are any of you expecting to be attacked during class?"

"Does she mean this class, or the ones we have with the Slytherins?" muttered Emmett, but luckily Umbridge didn't hear him.

"I didn't think so. You will learn how to deal with dangerous situations in a controlled and risk free environment-"

"Oh no," muttered Edward.

"-where no harm will come to you."

"What?" I asked him.

"That way, when you find yourself in a dangerous situation outside of class – which is highly unlikely – you will know what to do."

"Harry isn't going to like this," replied Edward. However, it wasn't Harry, but Ron who spoke up next.

"How are we supposed to know what to do if you aren't going to let us use magic? How will we learn?"

Edward chuckled.

"Enough with the mood swings," muttered Emmett.

"Sorry. Hermione was just thinking: '_I never thought I'd see the day… Ron is complaining about _not_ learning anything._'"

"If you know the theory well enough, you will be able to perform the spells perfectly in practice."

"That's ridiculous!" exclaimed Hermione.

The whole class was stunned. I don't think any of them had seen Hermione act this way towards a teacher.

"Wow, and I thought Hermione yelling at a teacher in class was a one-time thing," Ron whispered in Harry's ear.

"Yeah, well, Umbridge is a sight worse than Trelawney," Harry whispered back.

Oh, okay. So this was the second time. But still: it was very rare.

However, Umbridge did not seem flattered that she was the second teacher (that I knew of) to ever experience the wrath of Hermione Granger. No, she seemed closer to insulted.

"I beg your pardon, my dear?"

"I said, 'that's ridiculous'."

"And why would you say that?"

"Because it's true?" muttered Ron. Hermione, however, came up with a much more impressive reply.

"Because magic is not all about the theory. You must put it into practice. For example, you can't read a book about driving a car, and then expect to be perfect at driving the moment you get behind the wheel. It just doesn't work like that."

"Your right. But the people that drive cars are Muggles. Do you know what the difference between us and a Muggle is?"

Hermione did not answer.

"We can do magic. We do not need to know how to drive a car."

"For goodness sake, it's not about the car, it's about the principle!" said Hermione. Amazingly, she was managing to keep calm. That's more than I can say for Harry, who was staring – no, glaring - at his wooden desk and gripping the sides of his chair so tight I thought the wood might split.

"And who do you think you are," said Umbridge, trying a different tack, "To decide how I teach my class?"

"I am not criticizing your teaching methods, Professor," said Hermione.

"Then what were you doing?"

"I was pointing out that the course aims do not mention actually using magic."

"Well then, your point is duly noted," said Umbridge, walking back to the front of the class and sitting in her desk. "Now, if you could all read chapter one of your book."

With a groan the entire class turned back to there textbooks and, in less than a minute, seemed have fallen asleep.

Apart from one. (That is, not including the vampires.)

Hermione Granger had her hand in the air again.

"What now, Miss Granger?" hissed Umbridge, dropping her sweet façade. "You are supposed to be reading!"

"Professor, I have already read the first chapter."

"Have you?"

"I do believe I just said that I had," said Hermione coolly.

Luckily, Emmett's hiss of '_I really like this girl, she's awesome_' went by unnoticed.

"Well then, if you could please continue with the second chapter."

"Professor, I have read the second chapter as well. I have read the entire book."

"So have I," muttered Em, seeming to have forgotten about his previous comment on Hermione. "You don't see me whining about it to the teacher."

"That's only because you know Edward would kick your ass if you did," snickered Jake.

"Yeah…" sighed Emmett. This his face froze as Jake's snickers increased in volume. "Edward could not kick my ass even if he tried!"

"Emmett, shut up!" I growled. But I couldn't resist adding on with a smirk; "And you know he so could."

"Could not!"

"Could too!"

"Could not!"

"Emmett! Stop it!" hissed Edward.

"But Eddie, Bellsy started it!"

"Is something wrong?" asked a Hufflepuff girl near Jacob.

"No, it's all good," sighed Jake. "It's just Emmett's time of the month."

"Hey!"

Luckily, Umbridge chose that second to continue talking, and that conversation ended with no side effects other than a severely scarred and creeped out-looking Hufflepuff.

"Then could you please tell me Slinkhard's opinion on jinxes and counter-jinxes?"

"What's the point," spoke up Ron, who seemed to have finally reached his breaking point, "If we aren't going to be able to learn about them anyway?"

"Students will raise their hand when speaking in my class!" announced Umbridge.

Ron thrust his hand into the air.

Surprisingly, however, so had several other people. It seemed that after Hermione's argument and Ron's outburst, several other people gained enough courage to speak up.

"Oh no," muttered Edward. "This is not going to end well."

Before I could ask what he meant, Umbridge began calling on the students.

"Yes, Mr..?"

"Finnegan. I was wondering what the point of defence against the dark arts is if we aren't defending ourselves is?"

"The 'point' of this class, as you put it, Mr. Finnegan, is written on the board. I did not write up those course aims for nothing you know."

"You didn't even write them up," said Jake, louder than everything he had said so far. "You just waved your wand and there they were."

"Five points from Hufflepuff, Mr. Black, and let that be a warning for anyone who tries to be cheeky in this class!" Umbridge turned to another student.

"And your name is?"

"Parvati Patil."

"And your question?"

"How will we know how to recognize a dangerous situation if we have never been in one?"

"You have never been in a dangerous situation in any defense against the dark arts class in the last four years, and yet you did not complain. Why should this be any different?"

"No dangerous situations huh? Oh no, not unless you count Cornish pixies on the loose, being in the same room as a mad death eater and not having a clue or perhaps the fact that Professor Quirrell had Voldemort glued to the back of his head!"

It would seem that Harry Potter had finally reached his limit of passiveness.

"Do not say that name in my class, Mr. Potter. And you did not raise your hand!" Harry's hand shot into the air with the others. Yes, Miss Granger?"

"I think that what Harry and Parvati meant to say was that how are we supposed to learn if you do not let us perform the spells, and how are we meant to learn about dangerous situations if we are not shown what they are like?"

"If you know the theory well enough-"

"You can't learn about a dangerous situation from a book! You can't feel the hair on your neck rise up, you can't taste the feeling of foreboding, you can't experience that pure feeling of complete terror through the pages of a damn book!" growled Emmett. He almost seemed to be rising out of his chair.

Amazingly, Umbridge took a small step back and away from Emmett. _I_ thought he looked frightening – I could hardly imagine what he looked like to a human.

The students were staring at him with a mixture of fear and awe and, in Harry's eyes, new found respect.

"A good author is always able to construct powerful images," said Umbridge. Was it my imagination, or was her voice slightly faint? "You would be amazed at what the written word can do."

"You talk about real life situations as if they were fantasy novels!" shouted Ron.

"Hand, Mr Weasley! And don't you dare raise your voice in my class! Yes, Mister...?"

"Thomas, Dean Thomas. Why can't we just learn magic practically? I mean, We perform spells in charms and Transfiguration-"

"Those spells aren't as dangerous as some of the defensive spells that have been taught in this room in previous years," said Umbridge.

"Lies," Hermione hissed in Harry's ear. "Transfiguration can be an incredibly dangerous branch of magic, especially human transfiguration! Much more dangerous than a simple shield charm or disarming spell, and she won't let us learn even those!"

"The Ministry has decreed that it is in the student's best interest to learn about spells in a risk free environment-"

"What is the use of that?" exclaimed Harry, waving his hand in the air. "If we are going to be attacked, it isn't going to be in a-"

"Hand, Mr. Potter! I will not warn you again! Miss..?"

"Lavender Brown. And it's like Harry said, isn't it? If we are going to be attacked, it won't be risk free. I mean, we wouldd be being attacked, wouldn't we?"

"Well done," snickered Emmett. Honestly, maybe it _was_ his time of the month.

"I repeat," said Umbridge, "Do any of you expect to be attacked during my class?" She looked at a Hufflepuff who had a gleaming Prefect badge attached to his chest. She seemed to expect him to answer.

"Well, no," said the boy, glancing at Harry. "But what if we were attacked outside of class?"

"What is your name?"

"Ernie Macmillan, Professor."

"Well then, Mr. Macmillan, let me get this straight. There is no one out there that would attack students such as your selves. Who would be so evil to attack children?"

"Don't!" hissed Edward. I glanced at him, but he wasn't looking at me, or Jake, or even Emmett. He was looking at Harry.

Who, of course, took no notice. Or maybe he didn't hear. He was so angry that it was very possible he wasn't aware of anything going on around him apart from Umbridge and her horrible words.

"Hmm, let's think…" said Harry loudly in a mock thoughtful voice. "Maybe… Lord Voldemort!"

Many people in class gasped, or screamed, or – in Neville's case – fell off their chairs. But Umbridge didn't even flinch. She just stared at Harry, a blank expression on her face. However, if you looked close enough, there was a hint of smugness in her eyes.

What was she up to?

"Ten points from Gryffindor, Mr. Potter."

Well, that wasn't so bad. It certainly wasn't bad enough to merit the snarls that were coming out of Edward's chest, almost loud enough for the human's to hear. There must be something else going on.

"Now, let me sort a couple of things out," said Umbridge, walking between the desks. "You have been told that a certain Dark wizard has returned from the dead -"

"He wasn't dead," said Harry angrily, "but yeah, he's returned!"

'"Mr-Potter-you-have-already-lost-your-house-ten-points-do-not-make-matters-worse-for yourself," said Professor Umbridge so quickly I wasn't sure if the humans had managed to hear her. "As I was saying, you have been informed that a certain Dark wizard is at large once again. "

She paused, and glanced around the room, before saying the four words that would set off an explosion.

She said them slowly, almost as if she were inserting a full stop after each word.

"This. Is. A. Lie."

I didn't have to have Alice's gift to know what would happen next. Harry was _not_ going to like that.

"It is NOT a lie!" shouted Harry, rising out of his seat. "I saw him, I fought him!"

"Detention, Mr. Potter!" said Professor Umbridge triumphantly. Ah, so that was what she was planning.

My suspicions were confirmed when a brutal snarl ripped out from between Edward's lips.

"Edward!" I hissed, "Calm down!" I placed a hand on Edward's thigh under the table and began rubbing soothing circles into it.

It didn't seem to help.

"She can't," he spat. "She is the most despicable, the most evil…"

"Shhh," I soothed, "We'll sort this out. But right now, you need to calm down before Umbridge grows suspicious!"

Thankfully, Edward managed to quiet his snarls down to a soft growl, and Umbridge had been so fixated on Harry that she hadn't noticed us.

Unfortunately, Hermione was glancing between Edward and I, an expression that seemed to be a mix of suspicion, curiosity and calculating on her face.

She never missed a trick.

She was also probably the most likely person to figure us out. I'd have to keep an eye on her.

Or ask Edward to. That was probably easier.

My thoughts were interrupted by Emmett muttering a word that word have caused Rose to whack him over the head and Esme to put him on cleaning duty for three months.

"What did I miss?" I whispered.

"Umbridge just said she was our 'friend'," sneered Jake.

"Yeah right," I muttered.

"That's what I said," said Emmett.

"No you didn't," said Jake, "You said-"

"Stop it, all of you," said Edward. Then he leaned over me to whisper to Hermione;

"You have to get Harry to calm down before he does something he'll regret!"

"What do you think I'm doing?" Hermione hissed back. "I'm not stupid!"

At that moment, Harry, who was still standing, shoved his chair back and walked around to the front of his desk.

"Harry, no!" whispered Hermione. She tugged on Harry's sleeve, but Harry just took another step forward so he was out of her reach.

"So, according to you, Cedric Diggory dropped dead of his own accord, did he?" Harry asked, his voice shaking.

Cedric Diggory… one of the Order Members mentioned Cedric Diggory while we were in London, but they didn't go into detail.

Going by the collective intake of breath from the rest of the class, I would say that none of them had heard the whole story, either.

Sirius had said it was – understandably - still a sore subject with Harry. He must be really angry if he is shouting about it in front of Umbridge…

"Cedric Diggory's death was a tragic accident," she said coldly.

Oh, she didn't…

Emmett swore again. Even he could see where this was going… and we couldn't stop it.

"It was murder," said Harry. He was visibly shaking now, though whether or not it was from anger I wasn't sure. "Voldemort killed him and you know it."

The whole class gasped again.

"Now you've done it," groaned Hermione.

Harry took not notice of her. He was still staring at Umbridge.

Umbridge, with a small smile on her face that looked like it was _supposed_ to be sweet, whispered;

"Come here, my dear."

"She's a poet and she didn't even-" Emmett stopped talking when Jake whacked him on the arm. Of course, Jake's the one who'll end up with a bruise, but I think Emmett got the message.

Umbridge handed Harry an envelope, and sent him to see McGonagall. Then Umbridge told us all to calm down, keep reading and, in Hermione's case, copy the text book onto parchment, seeing as she had already read it.

The moment Umbridge was done speaking Edward leaned towards me.

"Go after him."

"What?"

"Go with Harry to McGonagall's office. You _have_ to get her to stop the detention, or at least change it. What Umbridge is planning is despicable."

"How?"

"Tell Umbridge you need the bathroom, anything. She likes you; you are beautiful, your records say you are pure blood and you didn't interrupt her class once – that she knew of, anyway. She won't let me, Jake or Em go. Now, quickly, before Harry gets too far! He's a fast walker."

I sighed, and thrust my hand in the air. Umbridge seemed very annoyed as she turned to me.

"Yes, Miss..?"

"Swan. May I please go to the bathroom, Professor Umbridge?" I asked in the brightest and most innocent voice I could muster.

Despite what Edward had said about her liking me, I thought she was about to yell. Then, a change came over her, almost as if she were becoming a new person. Her body relaxed, and a small, genuine smile appeared on her face.

"Of course, dear," she cooed, "Why don't you take your bag with you, too? Class is nearly over anyway, so don't bother coming back, just head straight up to your common room."

"Thank you professor!"

"Your welcome, dear."

Once I was out of the room, I found the reason for Umbridge's sudden change in demeanour. Jasper was leaning against the wall next to the door, a look of concentration on his face. I looked at him questioningly.

"Alice said you needed some help," said Jasper, shrugging. "I better get back to Herbology. Isn't there somewhere you need to be as well?"

"Oh yeah," I exclaimed, turning to run – at a quick human pace – down the hall. "Thanks Jazz!" I said over my shoulder.

"No problem," he chuckled.

As I ran down the corridor, I encountered a problem.

I did not know where anything in the castle was. To make matters worse, Harry knew all those secret passageways and short cuts… how on earth was I supposed to catch up to him?

I stopped running and closed my eyes, listening.

I was lucky. Not very far away, I could hear Peeves the Poltergeist singing.

"Oh what have we here? It's Potty wee Potter!"

I only knew of one Potter in this castle.

"Thank you, Peeves," I muttered, before running - this time a little faster than I probably should have done – in the direction of the horrible song.

"Oh, most think he's barking, the potty wee lad, But some are more kindly and think he's just sad…"

"Harry, wait up!" I panted as I rounded the corner, hoping to give off the image of a tired and flustered human.

"Oh, lookie here! It's little miss Isabella Swan! Or should I say, little _missus_ Isabella Cu-"

"Peeves," I growled. "Leave."

Peeves gulped audibly, then sped down the corridor and out of sight.

Harry was staring at me with wide eyes.

"How did you do that?" he asked.

"Do what?" I asked innocently.

"Peeves never listens to students, only to the Bloody Baron and to Dumbledore."

I shrugged, and changed the subject.

"So, where's McGonagall's office?"

"Just over there… but why are you here? Shouldn't you be in class?" he eyed me suspiciously. "Were you following me?"

"Yes," I chuckled. Harry's eyes narrowed. "I mean, how else was I supposed to find my way here? I still haven't had the grand tour of the castle, you know. I've only been here for less than a day!"

"Oh."

"I wanted to see McGonagall," I explained. "Umbridge let me leave early."

"Really?" Harry asked disbelievingly.

"Well, I told her I needed the bathroom."

Harry laughed, and then he walked up to a door on the right and knocked three times.

"Come in."

Harry pushed open the door, and we both walked inside.

"Mr. Potter? What are you doing here?"

"I was sent to see you."

"Sent?" asked McGonagall.

Harry walked over to where McGonagall was sitting at her desk, and handed her the letter.

McGonagall read the letter, then put it down and looked at Harry.

Before she said anything, however, I spoke up.

"Professor, can I talk to you?"

McGonagall jumped.

"Miss Swan? What are you doing here?"

"I would like to talk to you," I said, staring at her.

"Well, just let me finish talking to Mr. Potter and then-"

"Professor," I interrupted. Harry was staring at me incredulously again. Apparently, not many people interrupted McGonagall and lived to tell the tale. "I wish to speak to you before you talk to Harry. Do you remember what Dumbledore told you before school started?"

I actually had no idea what Dumbledore had told her, and she knew I didn't. But she seemed to get the hint.

"Very well," she said. "Mr. Potter, if you could please wait outside…"

Harry looked from me to McGonagall and then back again, then turned and walked out of the door.

"What is it?" asked McGonagall as soon as the door was shut behind him.

"You have to stop this detention," I said.

"Why?" asked McGonagall.

"I not sure, but Edward-"

"Miss Swan, you can't just come in here and demand that I let a boy out of detention with out an incredibly good reason, regardless of your position."

"But Professor-"

"Look, I do not want Potter in detention with Umbridge just as much as you don't, but unless you have reason to believe that-"

"Listen to me," I hissed. I felt pretty bad, doing this. McGonagall was probably my favourite teacher, the one that I had seen as the most sensible. Not that I would normally pick favourites, it's just that she had that… air to her. It felt so wrong to be speaking to her in this way, but Edward had said that we needed to get Harry out of this detention, and that is what I was going to do. "You remember what Edward can do, right?" I asked.

McGonagall nodded.

"Well, he has seen what Umbridge is planning, and it isn't pretty. He didn't tell me what it was, but I can tell that it is bad, and you need to get him out! You don't have to take him out of detention completely- hell, give him double the time, just don't leave him in detention with that… woman!"

"Bella," sighed McGonagall. The fact that she had used my first name is what made me stay quiet. I wonder if she did that on purpose... "I understand what you are talking about. But Umbridge is a professor in this school, and she is more than entitled to hand out detentions as she sees fit."

"But professor-"

"There is nothing I can do. And even if I could… Bella, I don't want Harry to come to any harm. Umbridge is from the ministry – surely Dumbledore told you that? Anything we do, she will relay directly to Fudge. The only thing we can do is warn Harry to keep his head. Umbridge is obsessed with justice, however twisted her vision might be. She will not do anything illegal."

I wasn't too sure about that. I hadn't seen such a fierce expression on Edward's face since the Volturi tired to kill our family. Not even when Malfoy was in our compartment on the train. I'm sure that whatever Umbridge was planning would not be accepted in society.

But before I could voice this, McGonagall waved her wand, the door opened, and Harry came in.

He looked curious, but it didn't seem like he had heard our conversation. Good.

"Miss Swan, you may leave now," said McGonagall.

I sighed, and walked towards the door.

"See you later, Harry."

"Yeah, see you Bella."

I followed the path I had walked earlier back up to the Defense classroom, and waited outside for the others. It only took about a minute.

"How'd it go?" asked Jake, the moment he got out of the door.

"Not well," I sighed. "McGonagall couldn't do anything, because Umbridge is a teacher too. She also can't risk the ministry having something to use against her or Dumbledore…"

Edward groaned.

"Then we'll have to go to Dumbledore ourselves."

"Didn't you hear what I said? They can't-"

"Bella, if you knew what she was going to do, you would go to Umbridge and force her to stop yourself."

"But if McGonagall couldn't get him out of it-"

"McGonagall couldn't get who out of what?" asked Ron, walking up next to me.

"Er…"

"Bella went with Harry to try and convince McGonagall to let him out of detention… it didn't work though," said Jake.

"Why would you even consider the fact that it could work?" asked Ron incredulously. "McGonagall is the strictest teacher in the school, with the possible exception of Snape."

"The Quidditch tryouts are on Friday," cut in Edward.

"So?" asked Ron, looking at Edward like he'd grown another head. "What does that have to do with anything?"

"Well, seeing as the detentions that Umbridge gave Harry included one at five o'clock on Friday-"

"WHAT?" yelled Ron. "Harry is going to miss the Quidditch tryouts? Oh no, he can not do this to me!"

"Why do you care if Harry misses the tryouts, Ron?" asked Hermione innocently.

"Er, well, you see, Harry is my best mate and I don't want him to get kicked off the team…"

Edward snickered, and Hermione raised her eyebrow.

Emmett, however, snorted.

"As if they'd kick him off the team for arguing with Umbridge," he said.

"Well, you never know," said Ron stubbornly.

"Nice to see you have so much confidence in me, Ron," said Harry, coming up from behind us.

"No, mate, I didn't mean-"

"It's okay," Harry assured him. "But Angelina's going to be furious…"

xXx

Dinner was a rather frustrating affair. There were whispers constantly flying around the room, as the entire student body – bar Seamus and Dean, who were gushing about how Malfoy had walked into the hall _exactly_ five minutes after Harry, just as Alice had said he would – were talking about Harry's shouting match with Umbridge. Rumors flew even faster here than they had in Forks.

What surprised me the most though, was the rumors about _me._ I mean, seriously, just because I went to the bathroom immediately after Harry was sent out of the room people have begun to suspect that we are _together_.

Ugh.

Not that I don't like Harry and all… but still. Ugh.

Though I must admit, it could look a little suspicious from an outsiders view… and Peeves singing songs about how he caught Harry Potter and Bella Swan walking along the corridors together during class time was not helping matters much.

_Then_ there was the rumor that I was going out with my brother. This would have been expected, if the brother they were muttering about hadn't been _Jacob_. Apparently, the Hufflepuffs that saw Jake put his arms around me before History of Magic had started that rumor.

And here I thought Hufflepuffs were loyal and trustworthy. Oh well, it could be worse.

They could be thinking that I was going out with Emmett...

Harry, Hermione and Ron left dinner early, so Edward and I did too. We didn't go with them, though.

We went to Dumbledore's office.

"How do we even know that he's there?" I asked. I mean, he wasn't a dinner…

"Bella, a little trust, please," said Edward, grinning and tapping his temple.

I rolled my eyes.

"Oh of course, you know everything!"

"And don't you forget it," said Edward with a wink.

We stopped walking outside of stone gargoyle.

"Um, hello," I said. The gargoyle didn't move.

"I guess we need a password," muttered Edward.

"Oh, alright then," I said, standing in front of the gargoyle. I opened my arms wide and announced; "Open Sesame!"

Predictably, the gargoyle still did not move.

"Abracadabra! Bibbidi-bobbidi-boo! Hocus pocus! Alakazam!"

Edward burst out laughing.

"Oh, shut up, Edward, I don't see you thinking of anything better!"

Edward smirked at me, then moved me out of the way.

"Sugar Quill."

The gargoyle hoped out of the way, revealing a hidden staircase.

"Oh, that is _so_ not fair," I huffed. "Not all of us can be all-knowing mind readers." Edward rolled his eyes and motioned for me to go up the staircase.

At the top, there was a door, which I knocked on.

"Come in."

Dumbledore's office was amazing. It was way better than the Gryffindor Common room, and that was saying something. I was large and round, and full of all these little whirring contraptions. The walls were lined with shelves and portraits of people that I assumed were past headmasters and headmistresses.

"Ah, Mr. and Mrs. Cullen. What can I do for you?"

"Professor," said Edward, walking up to Dumbledore's desk, "are you aware that Professor Umbridge gave Harry Potter a weeks worth of detentions this after noon?"

"Yes, I am."

"Do you know what she intends to have him do during those detentions?"

"No, I do not. The teachers are not required to inform me of the nature of the detentions they hand out."

"Well then professor, allow me to cut straight to the chase. Professor Dolores Umbridge in intending to have Harry Potter write lines –" Well, that's not to bad, I thought… but Edward wasn't finished. "- with a blood quill."

Dumbledore's eyes hardened, and he leaned forward in his chair.

"Are you sure about this?"

"Very sure, sir. She was thinking it in her mind as she gave him the detention. She was very determined that that would be his punishment."

Dumbledore stood up, and began to pace. As he walked, I turned to Edward.

"What's a blood quill?" I asked.

"It is a quill that cuts into the back of a person's hand as they write, causing the person to write in their own blood," said Edward.

After a couple of minutes, he sat back down again, and I could see the resolution in his eyes.

"I am afraid there is nothing I can do."

"What?" I exclaimed. "Umbridge is going to make Harry write lines in his own blood and _there is nothing you can do_?"

"No, there is not," said Dumbledore, looking at me gravely. "If I were to stop it, Umbridge would only think of something more horrific to torture the students with, or get the Minister to pass a decree that legalizes the use of Blood Quills. The only thing we can do is to make sure that Harry keeps his temper. It will be hard, but you have to try and help him fly under the radar."

"Harry Potter flying under the radar? Is that even possible?" asked Edward.

"No, I don't think so. But he can at least stay out of harms way… for the most part. Miss Granger will no doubt realize what is going on and find something to help him with the pain in hand. Otherwise, get him to go to your father, and assure him of Carlisle's trustworthiness. He will not come to me… I know that much."

"Alright then, Professor," I sighed. "We'll try."

"That is all I ask," said Dumbledore, bowing his head. "Now, I think dinner is nearly finished, so you had best get back up to your common room."

We nodded and stood up.

"Good night, professor," said Edward.

"I would say 'sleep well', but I don't think that is the best phrase to use in this situation," said Dumbledore, his eyes sparkling again. "So I think I'll just stick to 'have a nice night.'"

"You too, professor," I laughed, and then followed Edward out the door.

"Oh, and Bella?" called Dumbledore.

"Yes?"

"Keep and eye on Hermione Granger. She's incredibly bright."

"I will sir."

We got back to the dormitory to find Harry and Ron staring at pieces of parchment in confusion.

"What are you doing?" I asked as I sat next to Ron.

"Homework," he said, the tips of his ears turning bright red as he realized how close to him I was.

"Looks like your getting a lot done," commented Edward as he glanced at Ron's parchment, where he had written one line:

_The properties of moonstone and its uses in potion making._

"Yeah, Hermione's gone to bed," said Ron, as if this explained everything.

"So?" I asked.

"Well I can't do my homework without Hermione," said Ron, with the air of a person reciting a well known fact.

"Why not?" said Edward.

"It's way to confusing."

"What about you, Harry?" I asked.

"Hmm? Oh, it's potions… I've never been very good at potions."

"You know, I think you could be very good at potions… if only you enjoyed the actual class," said Edward thoughtfully.

"That makes no sense what so ever," said Ron.

"Yeah it does," I said, "If you enjoyed the class you would learn more, and actually be able to do it. Look, Harry, what are the properties of moonstone?"

"I don't-"

"Harry, don't think about the potions part. Relax. Calm down. Forget about everything that has happened today."

"I can't-"

"Yes, you can. If I can calm down and clear my mind after having a raving lunatic try to kill me while thinking that my mother had been kidnapped and that I was never going to see Edward again, then you can calm down and push aside the fact that you got a detention today, okay?"

Harry and Ron stared at me with wide eyes, while Edward reached over and took my hand.

"Okay?" I said again.

"Sure," said Harry.

"Now, just relax. Think about something happy and let it fill you up, like you would when your getting ready to cast a patronus."

"How'd you know that I could-"

"Just relax."

Harry let out a breath, then closed his eyes. I waited until at least part of the tension had gone from his body, then said;

"Now, Harry, tell me. What are the properties of moonstone?"

"I told you, I don't-"

"Don't think about it, Harry. Just answer the question. Kepp you mind blank, remember? Happiness only."

"Okay... Well, moonstone carries lunar energy, which helps to balance emotions, right? It has this gentle aura… which eases feelings of stress and anxiousness, which is why it is a vital ingredient of the Draught of Peace. Moonstone is also a good manifesting tool… which means that… it can draw on all of your desires, or give you a new desire, which makes it a useful substance in the brewing of a love potion."

Harry opened his eyes in surprise.

"How…"

Ron sat staring at Harry, his mouth agape, before he reached for his parchment and a quill.

"Can you say that again, Harry? Only more slowly this time, so I can take notes?"

Harry ignored him.

"What did you do?" He asked me.

"I didn't do anything, it was all you. You already knew all that stuff, you just had to relax and search your memory to find it. It's a tool my Mom taught me when I was stressed out during exams," I said, closing my eyes.

I hadn't thought of Renée in a long time. We had been forced to fake my death years ago… Alice said she was growing worried about all the calls I had refused to take, and was planning n going to Forks. Charlie knew I hadn't died of course. He was still on the need to know policy, but he was very surprised when we told him of our plan… but he accepted readily when he learned that it was what had to be done for him to be able to keep seeing Ness and I.

However, none of it would have been necessary. Renée died after a car crash three years later; she was in a critical condition and the doctors couldn't save her. I could have talked to her on the phone during her last few years... it wouldn't have mattered. At least Phil was okay, if you call being heartbroken okay... and I still had Charlie.

"Bella, are you okay?" I heard Harry say.

Then I felt Edward's arms wrap around me.

"It's alright, love," said Edward. "You did the right thing."

"I know," I sighed, opening my eyes again. "It's just that sometimes…"

"You're not regretting it, are you?" he whispered.

"No, of course not! Never! How many times do I have to tell you? This was the best decision I ever made in my life!"

"What was?" asked Ron, glancing up from his parchment. Harry whacked him, but it was done. Ron had heard what we were talking about. He was looking back at his work now, but I couldn't miss the curiosity blazing in Harry's eyes.

At least it wasn't Hermione… that would have been disastrous.

"Remember what I told you about the lunatic that was after me?" I said, making up stuff on the spot. Edward urged me on with his eyes.

"Yeah?"

"He… he kidnapped my mother and… she was put into hospital afterward. Carlisle was working at the hospital as a d- as a healer, so Edward heard what happened and came to get me. Carlisle saw us together and… Well, Emmett and I were going to be sent to a foster home for a few weeks, because my mother was so injured and we didn't know where our father was, but the Cullens were leaving the area in a few hours and I would never see them… I would never see Edward again... So Carlisle offered to look after us. Emmett would have gone immediately – he was already in love with Rose - if it wasn't for me, 'cause he didn't want to leave me. I didn't want to leave Edward... I can't live without Edward... but my mother was so broken… In the end, it was a choice between staying with my mother, or being with Edward and letting Emmett be with Rose. I… I chose to go with the Cullens. I couldn't bear the thought of being away from Edward... "

I brought my legs up to ,my chest and rested my head on my knees. I knew it all wasn't true, but it just brought back memories… thinking James had my mom… Edward leaving me in the forest…

Edward gave me a squeeze and I smiled, then continued.

"My mother died a little while after. The healers couldn't save her. I know I couldn't have helped but it just made me feel awful that while my mother was fighting for her life, I was just lying on a couch in a different state with Edward, watching Emmett and Ness playing video game..."

"I'm sorry, Bella," said Harry, reaching out to touch my hand.

"It's okay," I said, looking at him. "It happened quite a while ago. And as I said… I would much rather be here with my Edward and the rest of my family, than sitting in some orphanage with a miserable and heartbroken brother."

"…in the brewing of a love potion," said Ron. "There, done! Well, I'm off to bed," he said, standing up and stretching. "Harry, Edward?"

"Yeah, just a minute," said Harry, still staring at me.

"I'm coming Ron," sad Edward. "You'll be okay, Bella?"

"Yes," I said. Then I lowered my voice. "I'll see you down here later, yeah?"

"Of course," he said. "Night, Bella. Harry."

"'Night Edward."

When Edward had gone, I sighed and lent back, resting my head on the back of the chair.

"Bella," said Harry hesitantly.

"Yes?"

"Um, I'm sorry for making you relive all that.. If that happened to me, I would have ran out, pretending to visit Hagrid or something." He looked sheepish.

I looked at him intently.

"Harry, what has happened to you is so much worse than what happened to me. You have nothing to be ashamed of."

"I'm-"

"You don't have to say anything, Harry. Just know that if you ever need to talk to some-one, I'm here. Well, so's Emmett, but he's not the best person to go to when you want to talk. I mean, he can be serious, but…"

"Thanks Bella," said Harry, with a real, genuine smile on his face.

"You're welcome."

Harry stood up and stretched, much the same way that Ron had done.

"Well, I'm going to bed. See you in the morning?"

"Well, I'm not going anywhere."

Harry chuckled.

"I guess not. Goodnight, Bella."

"'Night, Harry."

I found myself grinning as I watched Harry make his way up into the dormitories. Everyone in the order had said that Harry had few close friends. He was one of the 'few close friends' type of person, as opposed to a 'lots of not-so-close friends' type.

And it seemed that maybe, just maybe, I had become one of Harry's friends.

It may have been done through the use of a fake story and a little help on his homework to get there, but still.

I was a friend of Harry Potter, and I wouldn't have it any other way.

* * *

><p><strong>What did you think? I didn't really like having Bella lie to Harry, but it had to be done, and I tried to make it close to the truth; hence why I had to kill Renée. Sorry about that. I needed a way for Harry to be sympathetic towards Bella and trust her... and by extension Edward. The others will take a lot longer though, so don't worry about that.<strong>


	8. Bloodlust

**This is another chapter that was meant to be a little longer, but it finishes nicely where I left it off. And sorry for the delay - I've been on a tall ship for the past two weeks (pretending to be Captain Jack, of course ;P ) so obviously I haven't been able to update. I hope you enjoy it though!**

**Disclaimer: I have said it once, I have said it twice, I have said it seven times already; I do not own Harry Potter or Twilight, or any of the amazing characters!**

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 8<strong>

Bloodlust

After Harry had gone up to his dorm, I headed up to mine. All the other girls were already asleep, so I just changed into my pajamas and headed straight back down to the common room.

Edward took a little longer; he had to wait for Harry to fall asleep, and I could tell that he wouldn't be the sort to fall asleep quickly. No one with that sort of past ever could.

Well, not unless they were _really_ tired. But I had given Harry a lot to think about, as I was sure he wasn't the type to hear the sort of thing I had just told him and then go straight to sleep. He was more the type to mull stuff over.

When Edward came down, we just did what we had done the night before; we curled up on an armchair together.

That is, until we heard a commotion going on outside the portrait hole.

First of all, it was just a small tap. Too quiet for human ears to hear – if the human were inside the common room, that is – but we could hear it a clear as a bell.

_Tap, tap, tap-tap-tap._

We took no notice of it.

_Tap, tap, tap-tap-tap._

The second time, we realized that there might possibly be something going on. After the third time, we heard a rather irritated and very familiar voice.

_TAP, TAP, TAP-TAP-TAP._

"What the hell! Why isn't this working!"

"Emmett," we groaned.

"Excuse me, young man, what on earth do you think you are doing?" we heard the Fat Lady say.

"What does it look like I'm doing! Listen-"

_Tap, tap, tap-tap-tap._

"There, done. Now, can you let me in?"

"Certainly not! You don't know the password, not to mention the fact that you are a Hufflepuff!"

"I do know the password! It wasn't that hard to work out!"

_Tap, tap, tap-tap-tap._

"See?"

"Stop hitting me with your wand! You'll set me on fire or something in a minute!"

"Open up then!"

"Well, I never! No manners at all!"

"Oh, I'm sorry, my gracious lady. Would you please do me the honour of opening up and letting me in the common room to visit my brother and sister?"

"Only Gryffindors allowed. Now leave!"

"Edward will let me in! Edward! Edward! Open the door! Come on, I know you can hear me!"

"Leave now, or I shall inform the headmaster!"

"Come on Bella, save your favorite big brother!"

"Shall we go and put him out of his misery?" I chuckled.

"Nah," said Edward. "Leave him there."

"I heard that, you guys! Let me in!"

Shaking my head, I crawled out of Edward's arms and stepped outside the door, making sure to shut it properly.

"What do you want, Emmett?" I asked.

"I'm bored."

"Then go find something to do!" I groaned.

"What do think I am doing? Asking for help on my homework?"

"Can't you go and find some one else to annoy?"

"Well, Jake and Ness are sleeping, Alice is watching Ness sleep and I can't go to the Slytherin room. That leaves you two."

"Why can't you go the Slytherin room?"

Emmett muttered something so quietly that I didn't hear it. Edward must have though. I could hear his laughter inside the common room, and then he came out of the portrait hole, clearly wanting to see the expression on Emmett's face.

"What was that, Em?" I asked.

"They're freaky, okay? I'm not scared of them or anything, they just freak me out! Well, some of them, anyway. I mean, they are as thick as a post and incredibly un-intimidating, but they are just…"

"Freaky?" I said, chuckling.

"Yeah."

"Whatever Em."

"Promise me you won't tell the others about this?"

"Why ever would we do that, Emmett?" asked Edward.

"Because I am your brother and you love me?"

"Nice try," I said, smirking, "But it doesn't redeem you for painting the Volvo bright orange the other week."

"But Bel-la," whined Em, "You got me back for that already!"

"I am really attached to that car," I shrugged.

"But to get back on topic," said Edward, "Why were you hitting the Fat Lady with your wand?"

"Yes, I would like to know the answer to that question as well," said the portrait in question.

"Isn't it obvious?" asked Em. "I was trying to get into your common room. I used the password; I hit the portrait with my wand in the rhythm of 'Godric Gryffindor' but it-"

"Emmett," laughed Edward, "The passwords for all the houses are different."

"I know! That is why I used Godric Gryffindor in stead of Helga Hufflepuff!"

"Emmett," I said, giggling.

"Yes, Bella?"

"You are the most absurd person I have ever met."

"Why thank you!"

"Now that we have got that sorted, don't you think we should relocate ourselves? We could be caught any minute," said Edward.

"Good point," I said, winking at him. "Well, see you in the morning, Emmett!"

I grabbed Edwards hand and pulled him back towards the portrait.

"What? No Bella, that's unfair!" whined Em.

"If we stay with you, what will you do?"

"Erm…"

"Come on Em, what's in it for us?"

"I promise I won't prank you guys for a week?"

"Hmmm…. It's tempting…"

"A month?"

"Deal."

"Good. Come on then!"

"Where are we going?" I asked and Emmett grabbed my arm and dragged me down the corridor – and as I was still hanging on to Edward meant he was dragged along too.

"Exploring!" said Emmett. "I know there must be heaps of secret passageways in this castle, and I want to find them!"

"Why don't we just ask Harry?" I asked.

"It's no fun that way! I want to discover them myself!" whined Em.

"Then why are you dragging us along?" asked Edward.

"Because it is more fun if you have some-one else to share the experience with."

"Whatever, Emmett," I muttered, rolling my eyes.

We spent the rest of the night being dragged around by Emmett, and I must admit I did enjoy myself. After finding several passageways behind tapestries, Emmett began to hit every tapestry we went past. We found many passageways this way, but when Em almost knocked a wall down, Edward made us stop. After that we just had to move the tapestries away; it wasn't as fun, but it was just as effective.

After a while, we got lost, due to the fact that we had been going down every passageway we found.

"Let's go back," I suggested. "We don't know how long it will take us and we need to be back before anyone wakes up."

"We have a while," said Edward, clearly searching the thoughts of the people in the castle with us. "But we had better not risk it."

Emmett pouted, but he agreed it was for the best.

On the way back, we heard voices, causing us to duck into a classroom.

"…so what ever the old oaf is doing, it must have something to do with the order?"

"Yes Goyle, haven't you been listening? He _must_ be out there gathering the giants, there really is no other explanation."

"What if he's just out on vacation-"

"Then why didn't the oh-so-mighty Dumbledore say something and the opening feast, Crabbe? He clearly didn't want to draw attention to the fact that the oaf was missing. Though it is kind of hard not to. And quiet down, will you? Some one may hear! And yes, I know it is the middle of the night – there is a reason I brought you with me on rounds tonight – but there is still the chance."

They went quieter as the rounded the corner, but we didn't bother following them. We had heard what we needed to.

Draco Malfoy knew about the Order and about the giants, and that was most certainly not a cause for celebration.

xXx

"Double charms, double transfiguration, care of magical creatures and then herbology," said Ron, studying his schedule of breakfast. "Well, that isn't so bad. No Snape and no Trelawney."

"That depends on who is in our class though," pointed out Harry. "If we had, say, charms and transfiguration with the Slytherins, it wouldn't be such a good day."

"We have charms and transfiguration with the Ravenclaws," said Edward. Then seeing Hermione's curious glance he added- "I compared my schedule to Renesmee's yesterday.

"Hey Bella, where's your brother?" asked Ron, glancing over to the Hufflepuff table where Jake was eating alone.

"How am I supposed to know?" I asked, shrugging. "He's probably still asleep or something."

Truth be told, Emmett was in Dumbledore's office, telling the headmaster what we had heard last night. He probably already knew that Draco – and therefore the death eaters – knew that the order was back in business, but the fact that they knew where Hagrid was was a little more pressing.

"I wish I was still asleep," groaned Ron. "I'm sooo tired."

"It's only the second day," said Hermione. "How will you survive for the rest of the term?"

"I will beg that the teachers not give us any homework!" said Ron dramatically.

Harry snorted.

"I would like to see you try."

In charms, Flitwick spent fifteen minutes explaining about the importance of the OWL exams and then had us all practice on the summoning charm. Edward, Alice, Nessie and I hadn't learnt it very long ago as it had been in the fourth year syllabus, but we only needed a little more practice and had it down in the first fifteen minutes – Ness took a bit longer but not much.

Harry had perfected the spell last year when he was threatened with being eaten by a dragon – at least, that what Edward said Harry was thinking about – and so he hadn't really needed to revise the spell either, and Hermione was simply amazing at everything. So Edward and I spent the session to Harry and Hermione about random unimportant subjects while Ron struggled with the charm.

The next class was Transfiguration. Like Flitwick, Professor McGonagall talked about the OWLs for the first part of the lesson, and then informed us that this year would be no picnic.

Unlike all the other teachers, however, she singled us out and told us that even though we had just come from another country and were not used to the different surroundings, people and teaching methods, we should not expect special treatment.

Translation: even though you are vampires that are here to protect Harry Potter and spy on the Slytherins, it does not excuse you from your homework.

Hermione's eyes were narrowed as McGonagall spoke to us.

Yeah, thanks McGonagall. As if she didn't have enough reasons to be suspicious.

However, Transfiguration was quite different to charms. The vanishing spell McGonagall had us practice was quite difficult, but we managed to master it. We tried not to let the other students see though, so they wouldn't get suspicious. However, I could tell we had impressed McGonagall, though she tried not to show it.

Out of the students, Hermione was the first one to vanish her snail, and remained the only one who could completely vanish it by the end of the class – even though the class was full of Ravenclaws.

Harry and Ron struggled, so we weren't able to talk with them this time. Well, it wouldn't do to have them not paying attention in lessons – it would make our life a lot easier if they were skilled in magic and able to defend themselves.

Not that I could see them trying to vanish a death eater, but you see my point.

At lunchtime, Harry and Ron decided to go to the library to finish the essays they had started the night before. Edward and I jumped at the chance to skip lunch, and so we joined them, laughing as Alice walked away from us pouting. Hermione, however seemed angry about something and headed off to lunch.

"I. Hate. Potions!" snarled Ron, throwing down his quill as he realized the few notes he had received from Harry last night were not enough to allow him to write a twelve-inch answer. "Maybe if I just write really big... _moonstones… carry… lunar… energy… which… helps… balance… emotions…._ There. Twelve inches."

Harry seemed to be trying to hold in a laugh. He continued to stare at his parchment, but neither his hands nor his eyes were moving.

"That's just a waste of parchment," I muttered.

Ron rolled his eyes and waved his wand, then looked down at the parchment, grinning.

His grin disappeared when he realized that all he'd managed to do was turn the entire page black.

This time it was Edward who rolled his eyes and waved his wand, causing the parchment to return to his original state.

"Thanks," said Ron, his ears turning bright red.

"No problem."

After lunch we had care of magical creatures. I thought that the lesson was going to be hard, as animals instinctively shied away from us.

However, skittish animals were the least of our worries.

We did not need Ron's hiss to realize that we had this class with the Slytherins.

"Well, at least we know there's one friendly Slytherin," said Harry, smiling slightly at Edward and I.

"Unfortunately he is not in this class," I sighed.

"What?" asked Ron.

"Neither Jasper nor Rosalie take this class," said Edward.

"Figures," snorted Ron under his breath. "I bet little miss prissy didn't want to get her hands dirty.

I giggled, thinking of how dirty Rose got after messing with the cars, and Hermione gave me a strange look. Aparently I shouldn't have been able to hear that. Oops.

I was right about the creatures being scared of us, though I don't think I would find a stick very tasty.

Hmm, maybe I could get Emmett to try one…

I let out another giggle, and Edward looked at me questioningly.

"Just wondering what it would be like if Emmett tried to eat one of those things," I muttered.

Edward snorted.

"It would be funny," he sighed, "But Carlisle said no harming the magical creatures, remember?"

"Yeah, yeah."

Professor Grubbly-Plank – Hagrid's stand in – told all the students to move around the table, grab a Bowtruckle and some woodlice and then start sketching one.

I noticed that Harry went out of his way to stand next to Grubbly-Plank, and pointed this out to Edward. He nodded, and touched his temple. I rolled my eyes.

Know-it-all.

Edward smirked, like he knew what I was thinking. I rolled my eyes again and moved toward the table before anyone wondered what we were doing.

"Professor? Where is Hagrid?"

Oh, here we go, I thought. Isn't it just typical that Malfoy, a Slytherin, knows more about what Dumbledore had planned than Harry - who was supposedly the wizarding world's last chance – did. It's not really in my place to say, but I think that Dumbledore should trust and confide in Harry a little bit more. He may be just a kid, but he has gone through more than any-one that I know, including myself and Edward. Well… maybe he was even to Edward. Nothing could compare to what he went through, especially in Italy… though maybe I am a little biased.

"Never you mind," said Grubbly-Plank.

You see what I mean? He is treated like a child who has done nothing wrong.

The professor moved away to check what another student was doing, clearly to avoid the questions.

Yeah, like she knew the answers.

"Are you alright?" Edward asked me. I nodded. "You just seem more aggravated than usual."

I sighed, and picked up a squirming Bowtruckle, being careful not to break it. It squirmed in my hand from terror, desperately trying to get away. I sighed again and put it back down on the table, where it tried to get away again but was caught up by another student.

"Bella?"

"I'm just annoyed that they all treat him like he's fragile, you know?" I said. "He's been through a lot, and I just wish they would open up their minds and see that he can handle whatever they tell him."

"I'm sure Dumbledore has his reasons."

"Yeah, I know."

"Come on, love. We can share Hermione and Ron's Bowtruckle, I'm sure they won't mind."

The sound of Malfoy's drawling voice cut through our conversation.

"…messing with something that's too _big_ for him, if you get what I mean."

My breath caught and I spun around – perhaps a little too quickly – to see Harry standing near the table with the woodlice, a look of horror on his face.

Malfoy smirked and walked back to the cluster of Slytherins.

"How dare he?" I snarled. "Harry has enough on his mind as it is, and now he just struts up like the king of the universe-"

"Bella, calm down! There is no way we could have heard that, remember?"

I nodded still seething.

"Right. Then lets get down and do some work, okay?"

I nodded again, and allowed Edward to pull me over to where Hermione and Ron were trying to draw a Bowtruckle.

"Mind if we join you?" asked Edward. They looked up, seemingly a little shocked and understandably uncomfortable by the look that was on my face, but nodded anyway.

God, these people must have no sense of self-preservation.

If this was how I thought of them reacting to us when I was half calmed down, I can't imagine what Edward must have thought back when I was human.

We were joined a couple of moments later by Harry, thank goodness, so the attention was drawn away from me. He squatted down and pulled out his stuff, but then he started to explain what Malfoy had said.

He noticed that I tensed up as he explained, and said;

"Did you hear him too, Bella?"

Edward shot me a warning look, but I nodded.

"What do you think?"

"Well, Malfoy could just be goading you…"

"But you don't think so?"

"To be honest, he seems like the person who could not think up something like that on his own. Sure, he's smart, I won't say he isn't, but when it comes to something like this… Harry, has Malfoy ever teased you about something, and in the end it had something to do with the truth?"

"Well, there was this time in third year, when he was talking about me and how I should want to track down and kill my – erm, Sirius Black. He was right about that one."

"I think he might know what he is talking about, but I think he is exaggerating to get on your nerves at the same time. It won't be nearly as bad as he makes it sound."

Hermione seemed to agree with me.

"Dumbledore would know if some thing had happened to Hagrid," she said. And I must admit, that was a good point, though I am not as sure as everyone else seems to be about Dumbledore's ability to know everything. If he did, why would he need us? Hermione kept talking. "It's just playing into Malfoy's hands to look worried; it tells him we don't know exactly what's going on. We've got to ignore him, Harry. Here, hold the Bowtruckle for a moment, just so I can draw its face…"

I wasn't sure that letting Harry hold the Bowtruckle in his current state was the best idea, but it was better than her having me hold it, so I kept my mouth shut.

"What was that?" asked Edward quietly so the other couldn't hear.

I sighed, and rubbed my face with my hands.

"I told you how I thought about this. They deserve to be included."

"You want to help them, right?" asked Edward. I nodded.

"Of course."

"You know we won't be able to do that if Dumbledore sends us away for not doing this right. "

"I know," I sighed, "But we _know_ that Malfoy knows Hagrid is after the giants. These kids are sure to figure it out as well, they are very smart."

"I know," groaned Edward. "I've seen it in the teachers minds – several of them have wondered how they – well, mainly Harry and Ron, not Hermione – could have such amazing ability to figure things out and yet do so dismally in class."

"I bet it was McGonagall that thought that."

"You should have taken that bet up with Emmett."

Our conversation was _once again_ interrupted by Malfoy. I could have wrung his neck if I wasn't so afraid of exposure.

"Father was talking to the Minister just a couple of days ago, you know, and it sounds as though the Ministry's really determined to crack down on sub-standard teaching in this place. So even if that overgrown moron does show up again, he'll probably be sent packing straight away."

I was just about to send an angry retort back his way, no matter what Edward said, but then something bad happened.

"OUCH!"

I felt Edward stiffen beside me, but that didn't matter.

Time seemed to freeze. I turned my head slowly away from Malfoy and towards Harry.

I saw the Bowtruckle fall from his hands, land in the grass, and run to the forest.

I saw Hermione gasp.

I saw Ron glance up from his sketch.

I saw Harry staring at his hand.

I saw the large gash.

I saw the red liquid oozing out of Harry's body, just waiting to be lapped up.

But what I saw was nothing compared to what I smelt.

That enticing scent, just asking for me to reach forward, and take his hand.

I could see it all play out in my mind.

First, I would carefully caress his hand as if to make it feel better. Then I pull it closer to my lips, as if I were going to kiss his wrist. Then I would cover the soft skin with my mouth, and draw out the sweet liquid…

"Bella? Bella! Listen to me, Bella!"

A soft growl ripped through my chest. I was surprised. Normally the sound would be wild, feral. How was that soft noise going to scare that attacker away?

But something deep in my mind told me that it was important to stay quiet, that these frail humans could actually hurt me if they wanted.

What a ridiculous notion. They were humans, weren't they?

I positioned myself in a different way, so that I could reach the boy's hand better. So I could reach the blood better.

Hardly three seconds had past since the boy's had had been sliced, and yet it felt like forever.

Blood. Human blood. The amazing flavor that I had never had the honor to taste before….

"Bella, please!" I turned my head slightly towards this voice.

I knew that voice.

Edward.

Then it all flew back to me.

My name is Isabella Cullen.

That boy in front of me, his name is Harry Potter.

He is my _friend_.

And most importantly, I am not a monster.

I remembered when Edward and Sirius had talked back in London.

"_But when it comes to vampires, accidents do happen, do they not?" asked Sirius._

"_Yes, they do. But we have all had much practice at ignoring the scent of human blood. Carlisle, for instance, is able to work as a doctor in a hospital. And only hours after her change, Bella was able to run from the scent of a human."_

"_So, that's two of you, what about the rest?"_

"_Well, I don't drink blood at all," said Jake._

"_And, being half human, I can control myself a lot easier than they can," said Ness, _

"_The rest of us have had a lot of practice, as I said before," continued Edward. "You see, in America, we all go to Muggle high school. Also, when Bella was still human, she was with us pretty much all the time."_

I didn't want to be the member of the family that ruined everything we had managed to build here.

I couldn't let Edward down.

I couldn't let Harry or Sirius or Dumbledore or Carlisle or Esme or Renesmee or Jacob or even McGonagall down.

I had to get out of here.

I immediately stopped breathing, and glanced at Edward pleadingly. A look of relief flooded his features, before he stood up, pulling me with him.

"Professor, Bella doesn't feel well. We have to leave."

Grubbly-Plank raised an eyebrow, and Edward gestured toward Harry quickly. When Grubbly-Plank saw his hand, her eyes widened and she nodded.

I guess Dumbledore informed her about us as well. I suppose it was necessary but… having so many people know about us – isn't that risky?

Oh well.

Right now I couldn't care less.

Edward quickly pulled me back up to the castle.

The moment we were inside the entrance hall, he led me into the closest door – which appeared to be a disused class room – and then pulled me into his arms. It was only then that I noticed I was sobbing.

"I'm so sorry," I cried.

"What for?" he asked, stroking my hair.

"I almost gave us away. I almost attacked him! I could have ruined everything, I could have killed him!"

"Shh, calm down," he whispered. "Everything is alright. You didn't hurt anyone, you stopped yourself, that is all that matters."

"But I haven't been so close to hurting anyone in so long! Why now? Why him?"

"It was just the wrong place at the wrong time, love."

"I've heard that before," I sobbed.

"I think you only felt the bloodlust so bad because you were already so angry at Malfoy. If he hadn't been goading Harry you would not have reacted to the blood so strongly."

"That… makes sense, I think."

"Good, now stop beating yourself up over it, will you?"

"Yes sir," I said, cracking a small smile.

"There now," he said, missing my forehead. "Better?"

I nodded slightly.

"Thank you, Edward."

My favorite crooked smile graced his features, making my own smile a little larger.

"Any time."

We stood there like that for a little while, happy in each others embrace. But unfortunately, no happy moment lasts forever.

"We have Herbology next… Emmett and Jacob will be in that class with Harry and the others so we don't exactly have to be there. Did you need to go hunting?"

"No, I'm alright," I said.

"Are you sure? We don't want to risk it and as I said-"

"No, you're right. It was just because I was angry, and it caught me off guard." I sighed in irritation. "Why did it affect me so much more than you?"

"I tasted and resisted your blood love," said Edward. "No blood could ever smell that sweet to me anymore."

xXx

When we got to Herbology Edward told Emmett to be on his guard as Harry was bleeding. Emmett frowned, but didn't say anything.

We all knew that coming to Hogwarts meant we would be exposed to blood eventually, especially around Harry, but we didn't expect it to be so soon…

"Bella, Edward!"

"Oh, crap," I whispered, as Harry, Ron and Hermione ran up towards us – Harry may have had Hermione's handkerchief wrapped around his hand, but it didn't mean I couldn't sense the blood.

I slowly took in a breath, while Edward ran smoothing circles over my hand with his thumb.

I could smell the delicious scent of the blood, but I found that I was able to block it out – mostly, anyway. Now that I knew it was there, it wasn't going to surprise me anymore. Also, the blood was starting to dry, which diminished the smell a little – but not much.

Emmett was holding his breath – even though he's older than me, he has a little more trouble resisting human blood when it is only a couple of yards away. I seem to have more control than most vampires – Edward and Carlisle think that it is because I knew what I was getting into when I was changed.

"Harry, Ron, Hermione," greeted Edward. Emmett simply nodded, not wanting to waste his supply of oxygen.

Jacob, on the other hand, greeted them enthusiastically and even went as far as high-fives.

Idiot.

"You guys left your bags behind when you ran off," said Harry. He handed me my bag, while Ron handed Edward his.

"Thanks," I said.

"What happened, anyway?" asked Ron.

"Bella faints at the sight of blood," explained Edward, and I swear I heard Emmett snort. He would pay for that later.

"Really?" asked Hermione. "It didn't look much like fainting to me."

Edward hissed.

Oh no. This wasn't good.

Damn Hermione and her ability to see everything…

"It was only a little bit of blood," I said. "So it only made me feel sick. I felt faint though… I would have passed out if Edward hadn't brought me to the castle."

"Wow, sorry," said Harry sheepishly. "I wasn't paying attention and gripped the Bowtruckle too tightly, and it sliced my hand-"

"Are you apologizing for getting hurt?" I laughed.

"Sounds like some-one else I know," muttered Jacob. I shot him a half-hearted glare.

Hermione still didn't look convinced, but luckily for us Professor Sprout told us all to enter the greenhouse.

"How bad is it?" I asked when Harry, Hermione and Ron were out of ear shot. We were meant to be working in groups of four, so we worked on a plant with Jake and Em, while the trio worked with Neville, who actually seemed to be pretty decent at Herbology.

"She's realized there is something different about us," sighed Edward, "but she isn't sure what it is. Her head is telling her not to trust us, but she keeps thinking back to professor Lupin and doesn't want to make judgements."

"Does she think you're werewolves?" asked Jake.

"No. She's realized that we all have pale skin, don't eat and have golden eyes. She's also noticed that we are cold and graceful. We're very lucky we have you and Ness though, Jake, or I think she would figure it out a lot faster. You're body temperature, skin and eye color and your large appetite has confused her." Said Edward.

"Glad to be of a service," said Jake happily.

"And of course, she's noticed an aversion - or more like an attraction - to _blood_," muttered Em. "Don't you think that would tip her off?"

"Sorry," I sighed.

"It's not your fault, Bells," said Jake. I just smiled at him. What a long way he's come in the past few years… "Anyway, from what you've told me, Edward didn't react too badly, and she couldn't come up with such a theory when only one of you reacted, right? I mean, if she were trying to prove a theory, she would have to see more than just the one of us show an attraction to a person's blood. And surely Carlisle working in a hospital will slow her down in that area."

"True," I sighed.

"Aww, Jake, when did you get to be so smart?" pouted Emmett.

We ignored him.

"You heard Dumbledore when he first met us. Witches and Wizards view vampires almost the same way that Muggles do. It will make it harder for her to find out what we really are," said Edward.

"But she's close, isn't she?" I asked.

Edward nodded.

"Damn," muttered Em. "Not even two days in and we already have some-one on our tail!"

"And here I was thinking you guys had better secret keeping skills than that!" exclaimed Jacob, throwing his hands into the air and knocking over a pot of seeds.

"Jake!"

"Be careful, Black!"

"Sorry professor. Sorry Bella."

I glanced over to see Hermione looking at us carefully. When she saw I had caught her, she blushed and looked away.

I looked away as well, before the bright red color that was seeping into her cheeks caused me to have another near-accident.

I wasn't normally effected _too_ much by a blush, but after what happened in care of magical creatures, I couldn't be too careful.

"That reminds me," said Edward, turning to Em, "How did your talk with Dumbledore go?"

I didn't quite see _what_ reminded Edward of that, but maybe Harry was thinking about what Malfoy had said or something.

"Infuriating."

Despite the seriousness of the situation, I couldn't withhold a giggle.

"What?" asked Emmett.

"That didn't make any sense. It would have if the question was '_How was your talk with Dumbledore_'… " I stopped speaking upon seeing Jake's and Em's confused faces – Edward was trying not to laugh, as usual – and Emmett just shrugged and kept talking.

"Anyway, Dumbledore said that he thought they knew where he was… he had gotten in touch with Madame Maxime who has already gotten back to Beauxbatons, and she had told the tat they had seen Death Eaters and were afraid that they might have been spotted themselves. So yeah, I go out of my way to tell him that the little weasel is on to us – well, Hagrid but you know what I mean – and he brushes me off, says he has some things to do with the order and tells me to go to class. If that isn't infuriating, I don't know what is!"

"Shh, Em, calm down, some-one might hear!" I hissed.

Emmett took in a deep breath, trying to calm himself down.

Unfortunately, Harry was still in the room.

Now, Emmett has much more control than Jasper. That was proved at that fateful birthday party… The thought pulled at the edges of my mind, but I shoved it back.

Anyway, what I was trying to say is that Emmett can control himself. There wasn't really any danger of Harry getting hurt.

But Emmett did turn towards Harry, his eyes black with thirst. Not really something he could help, but not the best thing to happen.

Because at the same moment, Hermione glanced over at us again.

"Oh crap," I whispered for the second time that day.

Emmett stiffened, and looked away.

"Idiot!" He muttered. "Where's Rose? She always gives me a whack on the head for no reason, but when I actually do something wrong…"

"It's not your fault, Em. You were just unlucky," I said, reaching up to pat his shoulder.

"How bad is it?" Jake asked.

Edward sighed.

"She's getting closer, isn't she," muttered Emmett. Edward nodded. "Damn it!"

"Will she tell?" I asked.

"I don't know," said Edward. "She wouldn't tell everyone I know that much, but I'm not sure whether or not she'd tell Harry and Ron."

"This is bad," muttered Jake. "This is very bad."

"No shit, Sherlock," growled Emmett.

"Emmett, calm down."

"You have no room to tell me to calm down! You have been a hundred times worse in much simpler situations-"

"Emmett, that was uncal-"

"Jacob, stay out of"

"Please, they might-"

"They've already noticed, Edward, or didn't you-"

"She's not all the way there yet! She knows we're something diffierent, but she doesn't know exac-"

"That doesn-"

"How can it-"

"Jacob, you aren't even-"

"Oh yeah? You think it-"

"Stop!"

Thankfully, the three of them shut up and turned to look at me.

"I have an idea."

"What is it?" asked Jacob enthusiastically.

"We should write to Remus. Hermione was the first one to find out about him being a werewolf, right? We know that much. Why don't we find out what she did afterwards?"

"That is a really good idea, love," said Edward.

"Always the tone of surprise."

"So we are going to write a letter to Remus?" asked Jacob.

"Dibs not writing!" exclaimed Emmett. This time, he was the one that knocked over a pot of seeds, causing Professor Sprout to take a point from Hufflepuff for 'accumulative disruptive behavior of the Hufflepuff members of the Cullen family', at least that's what she called it.

"I'll write it," I sighed. Thankfully, being a vampire had somewhat improved my handwriting.

"Two days, and they're already onto us," repeated Emmett, shaking his head and sighing. "And I thought we must have been careless in Forks with you, Bella. Turns out we can do a whole lot worse than that."

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><p><strong>I have never written about bloodlust before, but I hope this makes the cut.<strong>

**Please review, it makes me happy! :D**


	9. Trust and Suspicion

**I know, I know, it has taken forever to update. Again, I could give you fifty reasons, but I won't bore you with the don't worry; I AM GOING TO FINISH THIS FIC. I promise!  
><strong>

**Here is the next chapter! I have jumped a couple of days for two reasons; one, because the book did and two, because it would get boring if I merely explained about the Cullen's life in school every day of the week. I want to get to the good stuff! **

**Onwards!**

**Disclaimer: Insert witty comment which translates to: _I do not own Harry Potter or Twilight._**

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><p><strong>Chapter 9<strong>

Trust and Suspicion

_Dear Remus,_

_I know you told us not to send anything as the Ministry may be intercepting mail, but don't worry, I have this covered. We have disguised it as a page of a magazine; only you and I can read it. _

_Our time here has been good so far. Harry, Ron and Hermione are really nice and, surprisingly, have accepted us fairly quickly. Well, Harry and Ron did. Hermione is a bit suspicious._

_That is why I am writing, actually. We know she has only good intentions, but Edward thinks she is close to figuring it out, and, as you know, when it comes to what people are thinking, Edward is fairly accurate. We know you told us we can trust them explicitly, but the point is we don't know whether she trusts us. Surely, when she does figure it out, she'll realize that Dumbledore knows and will trust his decision, right? She can't think we could get in here without Dumbledore knowing, can she?_

_Surely not. She strikes me as being incredibly intelligent._

_Edward says that she has noticed we don't eat much – something we have been trying very hard to hide, I assure you, and that we have successfully hidden from the rest of the school – she has noticed that we all look the same, and yet different at the same time, although Jacob and Renesmee confuse her slightly. She also noticed Emmett's and my reaction to blood when Harry was scratched during Care of Magical Creatures. Don't worry – no one got hurt, and Hermione, Harry and Ron were the only ones that noticed. Edward told them I feel ill at the sight of blood. Harry and Ron believed. Hermione; not so much._

_She is getting close, but isn't quite there yet. It has only been one day._

_I am sending this as a precaution. As I said before, we cannot be sure of how she will react. _

_How do people see vampires in your world? Better or worse than werewolves? Will she be more scared of us than she was of you?_

_Of course, we are different to what she thinks a vampire is. She may react even more differently than we could imagine._

_Notice I said differently. Not worse._

_Sorry, I am rambling. Edward has seen how much I have written, and is telling me to get to the point. And apparently, this isn't helping either. Well, here goes._

_Edward, Emmett, Jake and I thought – and Carlisle agrees – that we should ask you what Hermione did when she found out about you. _

_Did she tell anyone? Even Harry and Ron?_

_If she tells them, we will loose all of their trust. I know they will probably find out eventually and_ then_ we will lose their trust, but they may trust us better when they know us better. Does that make sense?_

_We are just asking so we know what to expect. Sorry if we have bothered you, and I apologize for the long, rambling letter._

_Best regards,_

_Bella Cullen_

"There," I said, putting down the quill. Writing with a quill was incredibly annoying. Was it so hard to just get a couple of ballpoint pens?

Edward looked the letter over, and nodded.

"That should be fine, but we'll just have to make sure we do the spell extra well. We can't risk anyone from the ministry or a death eater reading this and finding out what we are," said Edward quietly, being careful not to let Harry and Hermione, who had been talking to one another since he got back from detention did not hear. It was unnecessary though – the common room was quite loud, as they were all celebrating Ron's acceptation into the Gryffindor Quidditch team as keeper. In fact, that was the very reason we had waited to write the letter now… Alice had seen that if we had written it earlier, Harry would have gotten curious and Edward would have ended up trying to explain how Remus was our cousin that did talk about us because he didn't want people to know we were related to a werewolf… yeah, not pretty.

"Remember what we found out when Dumbledore was doing all those tests on us?" I said. "Vampires can do spells much stronger than a human can. No matter how simple the spell I think it would take several people to crack it, and I doubt that they would have more than one or two people intercepting separate letters. They are probably concentrating on Harry's letters anyway."

"Very true," said Edward. "Alright then. I think we should wait until the morning to post the letter though. We don't want everyone in the room wondering why we are leaving at such a late hour."

"Alright then," I sighed.

Edward looked over at Harry and Hermione suddenly – they must have said something interesting.

"You are worried that You Know Who is controlling her like Quirrell?" asked Hermione.

Wait, what?

I had stopped paying attention to their conversation a little while ago – a couple of days had passed since Harry started his detentions, and his hand had been getting worse and worse. Hermione had only noticed it a couple of minutes ago and had been arguing about whether or not to tell Dumbledore – Harry wouldn't let her of course.

The argument had been getting a little repetitive, so I had concentrated on writing the letter.

But now, Harry, Hermione and Ron were talking about some one being possessed. Why did they think that? Who were they talking about?

"She's evil. Twisted."

Ah, so they were talking about Umbridge then.

"She's horrible, yes, but… Harry, I think you should go and tell Dumbledore your scar hurt."

I exchanged a glance with Edward. We had never known his scar hurt him.

Then I remembered what Hermione had said while I was thinking a minute ago. Sure, I hadn't quite processed it, but my vampire brain had heard it.

_"But last year your scar hurt when nobody was touching you, and didn't Dumbledore say it had to do with what You-Know-Who was feeling at the time? I mean, maybe this hasn't got anything to do with Umbridge at all, maybe it's just coincidence it happened while you were with her?"_

Oh no, this didn't sound good…

Hermione shot us a glance, and we quickly looked away. We could still hear, but they had moved on to talking about hats now, and then Harry quickly went up to bed, while Hermione stayed behind to do some knitting. She didn't seem to be very focused on it though.

"Hey," I said, walking over and taking the seat Harry had just vacated. "What are you doing?"

"Oh!" said Hermione, jumping. "Sorry, you startled me. And I'm just making some hats for the house elves."

"The house elves?" I asked.

"Well, you see, there are loads of house elves working in Hogwarts, but they don't get paid or even given sick days! They do so much, don't you think they should get a reward?"

"But… I thought they liked work?" asked Edward, Sitting on the floor and leaning against my knees.

"They have been brainwashed," she huffed. "They are told that they must work and so that is what they do. It has been going on for so long that they have forgotten how to live!"

"So why the hats?" I asked, running my fingers through Edward's hair. I knew it was risky, but it had just been so long since we had been able to be relaxed. Even during the nights we had to be careful, as there were often prefects coming down for rounds or people sneaking out for a wander.

"Not just hats, really," she said, "I've been making other things as well, like socks. You know how the only way to free an elf is to give it clothes?"

We nodded. Sirius had told us this over the summer when Alice complained about what Kreacher was wearing.

"Well, I figure that if I make hats and leave them around, then they can go free and live their life!"

"But Hermione," I said slowly, trying not to insult her, "you are not technically their master, so you can't set them free. Also, just picking up hats off the ground is a little different than being given them. I mean, if just the act of picking up a sock set a house elf free, then how do they do the ironing and the laundry for their masters?"

Hermione pursed her lips.

"I'm sorry," I sighed. "I didn't mean to be rude."

"No, it's alright, you have got a point," she said, putting down her knitting needles. "I just guess S.P.E.W will have to come up with some other way to help them…"

I wondered what S.P.E.W was, but decided to let it go.

"Is Harry feeling alright?" I asked.

Hermione's head snapped up and her eyes narrowed.

"Why do you want to know?"

"He's my friend," I shrugged. "He looked a little out of sorts when he got back from detention, that's all. I wonder what that old hag made him do. It must have been awful for him to be like that…"

Edward nodded in agreement.

"I get that feeling that Harry has had plenty of detentions before, surely they are not all that different. But Umbridge doesn't strike me as the nicest of people," he said.

"You can say that again," I snorted.

"I don't know," shrugged Hermione. However, the pain in her eyes contradicted her indifference. "He didn't really tell me. What were you writing all the way over there? Homework?" she asked innocently.

I wanted to tell her it was none of her business, but I did want her to trust us. It was a bit of a conundrum. Thankfully, Edward answered her.

"It was a letter to one of our friends back in America," he said.

I caught on quickly.

"We haven't talked to Seth in a while," I said. "I want to see what's going on with him."

"You just want to know if he's found a girlfriend yet," snickered Edward.

"It's not likely that he has," I said, rolling my eyes. "Leah's probably fighting all the girls off. I always thought the big brothers were supposed to be overprotective, not the sisters…"

"Seth is one of your friends back in America?" asked Hermione. She seemed to be buying the story, thank goodness.

"Yes," said Edward.

"What's he like?" asked Hermione. She seemed genuinely curious now, like she was trying to get to know us as people, rather than a mystery.

"He's just like Emmett," I said, rolling my eyes, "Only without the dirty jokes."

"Why do you want to know if he has a girlfriend?" she asked, glancing at Edward.

Oh no, she did not just think that.

"Aren't I allowed to want to know what one of my best friends is doing these days?" I asked. Hermione blushed. I swallowed the venom, and kept talking. "Besides, I can't wait until he finds himself a girl. I'm hoping she'll manage to keep him in line. He's a good kid but… there's only so much I can take."

"Yeah, but that didn't work out so well for Emmett," laughed Edward.

"You know Rose keeps him in line," I said. "Most of time, anyway."

Edward rolled his eyes.

"Anyway," I said, turning the conversation back, "Do you reckon you could tell us where the owlery is?"

"Sure," she said, giving us a set of directions. "You may want to wait until the morning though, there isn't much time left until curfew."

"We were going to," said Edward, "But thanks anyway."

"If you don't reckon you can find it, I can show you tomorrow after classes."

"Thanks, Hermione," I said. I really wanted the letter to be sent off as soon as possible, but it would be a little strange if two new students could find their way to the owlery after only two days.

"No problem," she said. "I'm going to go to bed now though, coming Bella?"

Despite her words, she made no effort to move or clear away her knitting.

"In a second," I said, smiling at her. "I just have some work I have to finish off – I didn't do it earlier as I was writing the letter."

"What do you have to do?" she asked.

"I just have to finish off that sketch for Grubbly-Plank; I didn't get it done in class, obviously."

This was true, but I knew that I could finish it off in a heartbeat. Hermione didn't know that though, so of course she offered to help.

"Do you need to borrow mine so you can get it looking right?"

"No, I'll manage," I said. "I'll just use the textbook."

"I sure do hope you don't feel ill again in class," she said, her voice suddenly changing from sweet and helpful to suspicious.

"I hope not, as well," I muttered.

Then, Hermione did something that I never would have expected her to do.

She looked around as if she were checking to see if anyone were listening, then leaned in and whispered:

"You can trust me, you know."

I froze for a fraction of a second, but quickly recovered. Hermione kept talking.

"I know you are hiding something, but I don't know what it is. I am sure you are not bad, though, or Dumbledore would never have let you in. Also, if I am honest, you seem like good people, even though you are clearly lying through your teeth."

"We aren't lying, Hermione," I said.

She gave me an annoyed look.

"Did you not just hear anything I just said?"

"Of course she did Hermione," said Edward, "But what would you do if a Muggle came up to you, told you to be honest and then asked what school you went to?"

"That's different," said Hermione exasperatedly. "I would not know the Muggle, but you know me! You can trust me!"

"Can we?" He asked

"Of course, you just can't see it yet!"

Edward paused, and looked her in the eye before speaking slowly, his voice low.

"Maybe we are waiting for you to trust us first."

Hermione's mouth opened, but she closed it again. Apparently she had nothing to say.

"Well, it's getting late," I said after a couple of seconds in an attempt to break the tension. I stood up, leant down to kiss Edward on the cheek and said; "I'll see you in the morning!"

"'Night, love," said Edward. Then he got up and went up to his own dormitory, while I headed up to mine, leaving Hermione frozen on her armchair.

xXx

I pretended to be asleep as Hermione finally made her way over to her bed – after staring at me for a few moments, I might add – and then waited _forever_ while she tossed and turned, clearly trying to sleep.

Well duh, Bella. That's what humans do in beds.

Most of the time, anyway.

Lets not go there…

_Anyway_, I may have been exaggerating on the 'forever' part. I mean, sure, I have unlimited time, but when Edward is not less than three meters away from me a couple of hours feels like years.

I was forced to resort to thinking of my husband in ways that were evoked by the errant thought about the bed and would not be appropriate to mention in polite conversation.

Hermione _finally_ fell asleep at around two am – I know, _some one_ is going to be tired in the morning – and I ran down the stairs.

Human pace, of course. Wouldn't want the cover blown just because I was unable to go a couple of hours without seeing my husband…

Whatever. Lying in a bed doing nothing is really boring. Maybe it wouldn't be so bad if I had Edward's talent and I could read what was going on in Hermione's amazing mind, but I guess I just have to live with what I've got.

And as I reached the bottom of the stairs, what I have to live with seemed absolutely wonderful.

The moment I saw Edward leaning against the back of an armchair, I launched myself across the room and into his arms and began kissing every inch of his face before pressing my lips against his.

"Not that I'm complaining," said Edward after a couple of minutes, "But what was that for?"

I reached up and kissed him again.

"Do I need a reason to kiss my amazing husband?"

"Well, no…"

I kissed him again.

"So what's the problem?" I asked.

"I Never said there was one."

And again.

"Stop complaining then."

And again.

This time, thankfully, he didn't try to talk anymore.

Well, not for a while, anyway.

"I hate this," I sighed, leaning into his chest. We were in the same position as we had been for the past half-hour – him leaning against the armchair and me wrapped around him.

We had hardly moved.

Hence my statement.

"I sure hope you don't," said Edward smirking. "Because I was rather enjoying myself."

"You know what I mean," I sighed.

He sighed too, and nodded before burying his face into my hair.

"You know it is for the best, though. When we go hunting…"

Suddenly, I pulled away from him and grinned.

"Edward, it's Friday! Well, technically Saturday, but you know what I mean…"

Edward's face lit up in realisation, and in less then a second we were across the room and out the portrait hole.

We had to slow down a couple of times to avoid prefects, but we made it out without any trouble, and then we ran hand in hand in the direction of Hogsmeade, with Edward listening with his mind to make sure no-one was around.

It was great to be able to run, to be able to feel the wind against my skin, causing my hair to flow out behind me. I glanced over at Edward, and saw that smile on his face that he got when it was just us, and we were running for no reason other than having fun and spending time together. It was nice – we hadn't had much time for just us, what with all the planning and practising in London, and then being cooped up in the castle all week. I mean, yeah, the castle is big and interesting and all, but it is still a little frustrated to be stuck in there, unable to do what we wished.

Don't get me wrong, I like the fact that we are able to help, and that we are keeping Harry out of trouble. It's just that sometimes - well okay, all the time – I miss being able to spend time with my family and not have to worry about anything.

We made it to the small forest on the other side of the town in no time at all, and then we let go of each other so we were able to hunt.

We stopped just inside the tree line so that no-one would be able to see us should they be looking out of a window. Then we each took a deep breath.

I groaned.

Deer. Honestly, do they not have something more interesting in Scotland? No lions, no bears… all they have are foxes and badgers.

Yum.

Yeah, notice the sarcasm.

Okay, okay, I admit, I have never actually tasted a badger, but I can't say they look particularly appetising… besides, they're really cute… when they aren't biting or snarling. Draining a badger would be up on the list with draining a bunny rabbit or a chipmunk.

Okay, maybe not a chipmunk. But you get my point.

"Bella, what are you thinking about?" asked Edward. I must have spaced out for a little bit.

"Chipmunks," I replied. Edward gave me a strange look, but shrugged it off. He must be used to the strangeness of the inner workings of my mind by now.

"Well, shall we get going?" he asked.

I nodded, and we both shot off into the forest.

xXx

After a very, er, _productive_ hunt in the forest, we made our way back to the castle at a much slower pace than when we left it, due to the fact that we seemed to be unable to simply hold hands and it is kind of hard to run when your arms are wrapped around another person.

I loved this feeling, this _need_ to be physically connected to Edward in some way. It had always been there, and had intensified with my change, but after the whole episode with the Volturi it had gotten stronger. Carlisle thought that it had something to do with the fact that we had both come so close to losing each other multiple times, and our bodies were reacting to make sure we never felt the pain of separation ever again.

I wasn't complaining.

Some of our family thought it was sweet.

Others thought it was annoying.

Then there was the one member of the family that thought it was downright hilarious.

It doesn't need saying which are which.

But every couple in our family had their own ways of staying connected to each other.

Rose and Em had huge amounts of PDA and ran into their bedrooms whenever possible.

Carlisle and Esme merely had to be in the same room and send each other loving looks.

Jasper and Alice constantly shared their love for each other through Jasper's gift – Alice letting her love flow to Jasper so he could feel it, and Jasper using his gift to push his love towards Alice.

Renesmee and Jake teased each other incessantly, but they did it with love.

Edward and I were always connected somehow. Whether we were holding hands, or giving loving gestures, or simply sitting net to each other with our knees touching, we were always connected – well, unless Alice dragged me out for a shopping trip or Emmett stole Edward for a game. We did it subconsciously – we hadn't even noticed it until Emmett had pointed it out.

But here in the castle, with Rosalie being so pedantic about her 'plan' against Malfoy, we couldn't be so close. This was the main reason why it was all so hard for me, and also the reason why it took us so long to get back to the castle.

When the sun began to rise, we realised that they best way to go was for me to jump on Edward's back.

Just like old times.

Of course, with my lips being in such close proximity to Edward's neck, I might have gotten a little carried away.

To allow someone to place their lips on your neck was incredibly intimate for vampires; it was the ultimate display of trust between mates, for just one nip and a head could be ripped off.

Needless to say, with my lips at Edward's neck for the rest of the run, he got us back to the common room fairly quickly.

I hopped off his back while we rounded the corner so that the fat lady did not get suspicious – okay, now I'm getting suspicious of paintings… Who'd have thought? – however, she was pretty annoyed at us.

Fair enough, really, we had woken her up many times during the week.

The moment we made it through the portrait hole – a very difficult task when your arms are wrapped around another – Edward's lips were on mine, and then he moved down to _my_ throat. I shuddered in pleasure as I felt him suck gently on the skin there, threading my fingers through his hair.

We were so wrapped up in each other, we did not even notice that there was some one else in the room until he cleared his throat.

Both of us looked up immediately. I felt somewhat possessive, annoyed that this little _human_ had interrupted this moment. From the way that Edward held me even tighter against him and from the growl rumbling in his chest, I knew he felt the same.

Luckily, the growl was too low for human ears. I have no idea what Harry would have thought if he had heard it.

After a couple of moments, my Edward-induced haze receded and my sense returned, causing me to bury my face into Edward's chest. I knew that if I were still human, I would be bright, bright red by now.

Edward cleared his throat, clearly coming back to reality as well.

"Good morning, Harry," said Edward. He seemed to be trying to sound pleasant, but I could hear the discomfort in his tone.

"Er…" Harry seemed lightly incapable of speech.

I glanced up from my hiding place in Edward's shirt to see Harry sitting in an armchair, a piece of parchment, a quill, and an inkpot in front of him. His eyes were wide as he stared at us, and his mouth hung slightly open.

We seem to have that effect on several people lately, I thought, remembering Hermione's expression that evening.

"So," I said as I pulled away from Edward, leaving us just holding hands and then walked closer to Harry, pulling Edward behind me. "What are you doing up so early?"

"I could ask you the same thing," he said.

I tried to think up a reply, but Edward quickly whispered to me before I could say anything.

"Try and seem despondent."

I nodded at him, and then closed my eyes, letting unhappy memories wash over me. I had a slight idea of what Edward wanted me to do, and it only took one memory to get the reaction he would have wanted.

However, I was not sure that Harry would find it believable if I crumpled on the floor in pain. I need a little bit of a less drastic memory…

So I thought about how I felt when it had seemed like _Jacob_ had left me, when in fact he had turned into a werewolf. It had hurt, but no where near as much as when Edward left. I remembered what I thought back then…

_This wasn't the end of the world, not again. This was just the end of what little peace there was left behind._

Wincing, I opened my eyes, to see Harry was looking at me with… surprise? Confusion? Disbelief? I wasn't sure, but it didn't seem like he has expected my reaction.

Well, I didn't expect what Edward said next.

"We went for a walk."

Um, what?

Why the need for the depressed look if all we did was go for a walk?

Harry seemed to be thinking along the same lines as me.

Well, almost the same lines, as he seemed to think my reaction was real. Man, my acting skills must be loads better.

"I don't believe you," he said.

"Well, we did go for a walk," said Edward. He glanced at me quickly, to quickly for Harry to notice, but I understood what he wanted.

I winced.

Harry looked at me again, a calculating look on his face.

Curious, I lowered m shield, something that I didn't do very often. But I wanted to know what Harry was thinking and what Edward was planning, an I could risk talking when Harry was looking at me like that.

_What on Earth is going on?_

Edward froze as he heard me thoughts, then got that spark in his eye, which always seemed to be present when I let him hear my thoughts.

"He is trying to figure out why you seem so gloomy," he whispered. "He saw how we were when we came in, obviously, so he doesn't understand your reaction to him wondering what we were doing."

I wondered if he meant to make him exceptionally confused on purpose.

"Not quite. I am just giving him a reason as to why we were out so early in the morning. He noticed I was not there when he woke up, which seems to have been about an hour ago."

Oh yeah, 'cause making him confused is the very best way making Harry believe our excuse.

"Of course it is, love, have Alice and I taught you nothing of how to make a human believe our stories?"

I remembered how Edward had acted after he had saved me from Tyler's van.

"Exactly, love."

I rolled my eyes and let my shield snap back into place, causing Edward to pout.

This whole exchange had lasted only a couple of seconds, and Harry was still looking at me.

"Alright…" he said, but he didn't seem convinced.

"So, we told what we were doing, would you like to return the favour?" asked Edward. His voice wasn't demanding – it was teasing, letting Harry know tat he didn't have to tell us if he didn't want to. I think it was this, more than anything, which prompted Harry into an answer.

"I was writing a letter."

"Oh, brilliant," I said, pulling my self out of my 'depression'. However, I tried not to sound to cheerful so Harry would not become suspicious of any sudden mood changes. "We have a letter that we need to post, but we didn't know where the owlery is. Do you reckon you can show us?"

"Sure," said Harry. "Just let me seal this." He gestured towards the parchment.

I nodded, and Harry folded the letter over, making sure that we couldn't see what he had written.

He wrote a name on the front, though, and when he picked it up, I saw the name 'Snuffles.'

Harry's secrecy and strangeness of the name – I was sure it was not a real name – lead me to the conclusion that he was writing to Sirius.

I hope he was careful with what he wrote. He hadn't gone to many lengths to make sure that no one could read it.

When he was done, he lead us out of the portrait hole, much to the annoyance of the Fat Lady, and then through many corridors and into a part of the castle we had visited with Emmett that night we had been searching for secret passageways.

After a could of minutes of silence, however, Edward spoke.

"Is there another way to the owlery?" he asked.

Harry looked at him with a frown.

"Yeah, but why?"

"I just have a bad feeling about this direction… do you reckon we could go a different way?"

"Why?" he asked again. Edward sighed and shook his head.

"I told you, I just have a bad feeling."

I felt nervous. If Edward had a 'bad feeling', it normally meant that he had read somebody's mind and saw something troubling. I decided to help him a bit.

"Besides," I said, "We have been this way before when we were secret-passageway-hunting with Em, and it would be nice to know a different part of the castle.

"I thought you said you didn't know the way to the owlery?" asked Harry.

"We don't," said Edward, "We have been this way, just never to the owlery."

Harry still didn't look convinced. My god, maybe he's the one I should worry about, not Hermione.

"Please Harry," I asked. "I just want to explore the castle we re going to be stuck in for the next three years!"

"That and your boyfriend's 'bad feeling'," muttered Harry, clearly not meaning for us to hear.

I sighed. So much for being Harry's friend. Or maybe he was just really tired this morning…

Lucky for us, Nearly Headless Nick came around the corner at that moment and, spotting us, floated over quickly.

"I wouldn't go that way if I were you," he said. Harry raised his eyebrows, and glanced at Edward questioningly, before turning back to Nick.

"And why not?"

"Peeves is planning to play a very 'amusing' joke on the net person to pass the bust of Paracelsus in the middle to that corridor."

"Does the joke involve Paracelsus falling on the person's head?"

"Funnily enough it does. Subtlety has never been Peeves' strong point."

"Neither has originality, apparently," I muttered.

Nick smiled at me.

"You are very right there. But anyway, I am off to find the Bloody Baron… some one has to put a stop to his madness."

"Why don't you let Bella do it?" asked harry, a gleam in his eye.

"Bella?" said Nick incredulously. "I mean no disrespect, but how on earth could Bella stop Peeves?"

"She did it before," he said. It was then that I realised that the gleam in Harry's eye was not there because he was thinking of finding something out about me, but rather because he waned to see me put Peeves in his place again.

"Really?" asked Nick, looking me up and down. "How on Earth did you do that, Bella?"

"It was nothing, really," I said.

Harry scoffed.

"Nothing? It was brilliant!" He turned to Nick. "All she did was tell him to leave and he ran away with his tail between his legs!"

I rolled my eyes. It _was_ nothing. Any vampire could have done it.

"Hmm," said Nick. He looked me over again, and then glanced at Edward. "I wonder why he left."

"Well, Nick, Bella can be fairly scary when she wants to be," said Edward. Nick's eyes narrowed. I wish he would stop doing things like that. Despite the fact that je was a ghost and I knew he couldn't hurt me, he was making me fairly nervous.

"I'm sure she can be," he muttered. "But I don't think that is the case."

"I know a secret of his," I supplied.

"Peeves has no secrets," said Nick. "And besides, how could you know of him? He has always lived in Hogwarts, and you are American."

"One of my however-many-great-grandparents went here, sir," I said. "They passed down a story of a wrongdoing the Hogwarts poltergeist did during their time here… I think it may have been the reason we went to America in the first place, so that they could go to Salem. They were the only person to see the event happen, even the ghost do not know of it. Peeves, as much of a mischief maker as he is, wishes it to be kept a secret."

Nick still seemed a little skeptical, but was also in thought.

"I think we may have had a Swan a century or so ago… yes, Peeves did act a little strangely… and there was that kid that left to Salem decades and decades ago, her great-grandparent's name may not have been Swan after all…"

He nodded to us, and left.

"Really?" asked Harry. "You know one of his secrets?"

It seems he had not bought into the story such as Nick had. Is this what my life at Hogwarts is going to be like? Convincing people of something and having them not believe me?

"I'd rather not talk about it," I muttered, "And I'm sorry, but I would rather not let a ghost know all about me. Let's just say Peeves knew my… mother…"

Harry's eyes widened.

"I am so sorry for bringing that up, Bella, no wonder you did not want to talk about it to Nick-"

"It's okay," I said, holding up may hand, "But Nick is right, Peeves can't be allowed to continue this. Let's go stop him before he drops that bust on some-one else's head."

"That reminds me," said Harry as we walked forward. "How on Earth could you tell we shouldn't go this way, Edward?"

"I told you, I had a bad feeling," he replied.

"Edward always seems to know what is going on," I said, giggling slightly. "Alice too. It's like the two of them have a sixth sense – it's pretty scary, actually."

"Oh, very funny," said Edward, rolling his eyes. Harry looked a little bemused, but didn't comment any further.

As we walked down the corridor, I heard a soft cackle.

"Peeves?" I said quietly.

The cackling stopped immediately.

"Hello Peeves. Could you come down here, please? Oh, and place the bust down nicely, will you, there is no need for it to be damaged."

Harry watched, amazed as Peeves gently placed the statue of the ground, then floated In front of me.

"Yes?"

"Hi Peeves," said Edward with a grin, allowing Peeves to see his bright white teeth.

Peeves gulped.

"Hi… Missus, erm, Miss Bella, I see you brought your hus- friend."

"That I did, Peeves, and I need to get a few things straight with you," I hissed. I heard Harry shift behind me, and I knew I would have to be careful How I worded this.

"What things?" asked Peeves, floating slowy away from me. I took a step forward.

"I need you to stop speaking about my family," I said. Then for Harry's benefit I added – "You caused Renesmee to burst into tears the other day. You need to stop calling us names, stop playing tricks on us-" I lowered my voice so that Harry could not hear – " And stop giving the students and especially Umbridge any reasons to get suspicious, do you understand?"

Peeves nodded vigorously.

"Have you seen my brother Emmett around?" I asked in a conversationalist tone. "He's really strong, isn't he?"

Peeves glanced and Edward, then back to me.

"I am sorry, Miss C- Swan, I will see to it they I do not cause your cov- er, I mean, family any difficulties ever again!"

"Of course," I said cheerfully, "And I would appreciate it if you refrained from attacking my friends as well."

"Yes, yes, of course, I'll just be going now…"

And, as Harry said before, he 'ran away with his tail between his legs'. Despite the fact that Peeves did not run and that he had no tail, it was quite an accurate description.

"Why the need for all that?' asked Edward quietly.

"He called me Mrs. Cullen in front of Harry the other day in the middle of a corridor," I whispered. "I can't let it happen again. What if Hermione were listening?"

Edward nodded in approval.

"Good point."

"Wow, Bella," said Harry, still awestruck. "I've never seen Peeves act like that, not even when Ron, Hermione and I pretended to be the Bloody Baron!"

Edward snorted in amusement, clearly seeing the image in Harry's mind, but I was curious.

"How did you do that?"

"Er, I'll tell you some other time. We were going to the owlery?"

xXx

When we got to the owlery, I realized a problem. Back in Diagon alley, when I had tried to go into Eyelops Owl Emporium, the whole place turned into a nightmare of screeching owls trying to escape the predator that they could sense.

The vampire.

Which meant, basically, that no owl was going to come anywhere near us, and we wouldn't be able to tie our letter to the owl.

That meant Harry would have to do it for us, and how would he react when he saw the name 'Remus Lupin' written on the outside of the envelope?

As we neared the owlery, I quickly lowered my shield and explained the problem to Edward. He merely smiled at me.

"It's alright. Jasper thought of this when we were in London, and Moody taught us a spell that would help."

"Why don't I know this?"

"We were hunting that day. I saw it in Jacob's mind afterward – he thought it was hilarious that we would have to cast a spell to allow the owls near us."

"Why didn't you tell me this before Care of Magical creatures? That Bowtruckle was terrified of me!"

"I did," he said. "Why do you think the Bowtruckle stayed still long enough for us to draw it? I just thought it was funny watching that first one run away from you."

"Oh you are sooo hilarious," I said, shoving his arm.

"Here we are!" said Harry. "You can use the school owls – you don't have one of your own, do you?"

We shook our heads no.

"Okay then," He said. I'll just find Hedwig and…"

"Go ahead," I said. Harry smiled and me, then went of in search of his owl.

"So, the spell?" I asked, as I watched a small brown owl near me screech in fright and fly out the window.

"_Oppilio Sagacitius_" muttered Edward, pointing his wand at me. Then he repeated the action on himself. "There, done. Now, come on!"

As Edward pulled me into the owlery I realized that I could no longer smell him. I almost panicked, but focused on the feel of his hand in mine.

This must be what his spell had done – it had blocked our scent, so the owls could not smell us and know that we are predators.

This was amazing! It could come in so much help… if w were being tracked, or if we were trying to hide from some one…

It was dangerous though, because if one of us went missing, we would have no means to find them other than Alice's visions, and we had experienced first hand the fact tat they could be tampered with.

Edward chose a large barn owl, one that looked like it might survive a flight to America.

Well, if it managed to find rest on a couple of boats in between, that is.

Not that the bird would actually be going to America, but Harry thought it was, so we needed to stick to that idea.

As I tied the letter – now disguised as a page torn from a magazine – to the owl's foot, I heard Harry talking to his snowy owl, Hedwig.

"I know this says Snuffles on the outside, but it's for Sirius, okay?"

Ah, so I was right.

I was very surprised though, when the bird replied to him, giving a soft hoot. These magical creatures must be much more intelligent than I thought they were.

Hedwig flew out of the window at the same moment as I released the barn owl, and they both flew off in exactly the same direction.

Oops. I hope Harry didn't notice.

Luckily, he didn't, as he was to busy watching out the window. I glanced out to see what he was looking at, and I noticed a thestrals flying above the forest.

I really hope the Thestral didn't eat the owl. I could not be bothered writing that letter again.

"Are you alright?" I asked Harry.

He turned to me, an odd expression on his face.

"Hermione may have explained to me what those things are, but… I can't shake tat bad feeling out of my head whenever I see one."

"They are just misunderstood," I said. "Just because they can only be seen by those who have seen death does not mean that they are bringers of death themselves. Just think about creatures such as Veela – so beautiful, and yet so destructive. Never judge a book by it's cover."

Oh man, I thought, Now I sound like Edward did when we first met. Like I'm trying to warn him away from me.

Was I, though? I didn't think so.

"Now he thinks _we're_ Veela," chuckled Edward quietly. "Oh wait, no. He's just realised that he has never seen a male Veela."

I rolled my eyes. Just because we looked 'pretty'…

Suddenly, the door of the owlery opened and a girl walked in. She paused as she looked at us, sending a glare in my direction but blushing as her gaze firs fell on Edward, then Harry.

I felt a growl build up in my throat. I recognized this girl. She was that Ravenclaw sixth year Harry had a crush on, the one that had walked in on us while we were covered in Stinksap on the train.

I didn't know what her name was, though.

"Oh, um, hi Harry. Who are your friends?" She seemed hopeful, and kept glancing between Harry and Edward. I didn't quite think I wanted to know what she was thinking, and grimaced and Edward winced.

"Er, Cho, this is Edward Masen and Bella Swan. Guys, this is Cho Chang."

"Nice to meet you," I said, while Edward merely nodded.

"You too," said Cho, though she never looked at me.

I sighed.

"I think I'm just going to…"

"I'll come with you," said Edward, grabbing my arm and pulling me outside of the owlery.

"What?" I asked him as the door closed behind us, amused.

"The spell was about to wear off," said Edward. "We had to get out of there before the Owls all went crazy."

"Liar," I giggled.

"If you don't know what I was doing then how can you know I was lying?" he huffed, causing me t laugh louder.

Suddenly, Edward was laughing, and I stopped, looking at him strangely.

"What?"

"Harry… you know he's interested in Cho, right?"

"Right…"

"We just thought that maybe he should '_accidentally on purpose show her his cut hand while he was helping her tie her parcel to the owl_'."

"Boys are ridiculous," I said, shaking my head.

"Hey," said Edward, " I don't try and get your pity!"

"No, but you show off all the time. What's the difference?"

"There is a very large difference!" announced Edward dramatically.

"Oh yeah? What is it then?"

"I was not trying to get your attention, I was simply trying to keep it."

"Did you know most girls don't like it when guys show off?"

"Oh really?"

"Really."

"Well then, I had better not play the piano for you any more, had I?"

"As Esme said, there is a difference!"

"Now you're just repeating my argument!"

"Am not!"

"Are too! You little argument stealer!" Edward glared at me playfully, and his expression combined with his words, which were so un-Edward-like caused me to burst into laughter once more.

"Well, well, well, what do we have here?" asked a harsh voice. We turned to look down the steps – we were still outside the owlery door – to see Filch the caretaker.

"We are just waiting for our friend to finish up in the owlery, sir," said Edward. "He was sending a letter and then bumped into another friend. We are waiting to go down to breakfast together."

"Is that so?" asked Filch, his eyes bulging. "What, pray tell, was in the letter that he was sending?"

"He was just writing to a friend, I think," I said. "I do not know what was in the letter, I do not generally snoop into other people's business."

"Humph," he said, then he pushed past us and went thought door, calling to us – "You had better not get up to any funny business!"

"Well that was interesting," I said.

"He is going to accuse harry of ordering dungbombs," said Edward, all traces of the previous laughter gone. "Apparently he received a tip off, though he wasn't thinking of who gave it to him. He was told he must demand to read Harry's letter though… he thought he were standing there to stall him, giving Harry time to send his letter."

"But Harry wouldn't order dungbombs," I said, confused.

"I know," said Edward.

"So why?" I asked. "A prank? Could it be Malfoy?"

"I don't think so," said Edward. "I think… I think that Umbridge was trying to read Harry's mail."

"I think you are right," I said. "Let's just hope that Harry wrote his letter well…"

"I was hoping that Umbridge doesn't get to our letter, actually," said Edward, frowning. Remus is a known member of the order…"

"You think the may intercept his mail?"

"Yes. We'll have to hope that our enchantment on the parchment holds or…"

"Or we're in trouble," I finished.

It was a bit of an understatement, but it was the best thing I could come up with to describe the current situation.

Because if Umbridge found out what we were…

I am not even sure what would be worse – her finding out, or the death eaters.

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><p><em><strong>Hopefully<strong>_** my hectic life will slow down a little and the next chapter will come a little earlier. **

**And that spell which eliminates scents - I got it from the Latin words Oppilo (Block) and Sagacitas (Scent). Don't worry, I didn't just type in random letters. :)  
><strong>

**Keep it up with the reviews! We're over a hundred now! Thank you guys so much!**


	10. Smelly Purple Goop

**Wow, can you believe I only realized yesterday how long it has been since I updated? Oops.**

**Now, I want you all to remember something. I am the one that writes, yes? No killing the author or there will be no updates... remember that.**

**So, I'm heading of to Europe on Thursday for the summer holidays (-ducks under multitude of flying cyber rocks-) so, I won't be able to update until February. (-ducks again-) I have left a one shot for my friend to put up in January, but who's to say if that gets done. (And sorry for the lack of confidence in you, Ash! :P)**

**So guys, sorry 'bout that.**

**Enjoy the next chapter! **

**Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter or Twilight, and a bit of dialogue plus Percy's letter came straight out of the Order of the Phoenix. **

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><p><strong>Chapter 10<strong>

Smelly Purple Goop

When we walked towards the Gryffindor table for breakfast a couple of minutes later, Ron and Hermione immediately stopped their conversation and stared at us weirdly.

First, I wondered if Hermione had told Ron of her suspicions about us, but then I turned at looked behind me and realised that wasn't the case.

They weren't looking at us at all. They were looking at Harry.

Harry hardly ever smiled, and when he did, it never really seemed real. I don't know if many people realised it, but I know for sure that Ron and Hermione did. Maybe it was the fact that he had been through so much at such a young age. Maybe it was because he had spent his life with the Dursleys, and so he never learnt to smile properly in the first place. Or maybe it was simply because I had never seen him before the man that murdered his parents came back from the almost-dead, and that he just hadn't smiled since then. But whatever the case, Harry never seemed to smile.

So I could understand Hermione and Ron's confusion as Harry walked towards them, a blissful smile on his face like nothing was wrong with the world and life was full of sunshine and daisies.

"What sort of thing have you been eating?" Ron asked as we sat down.

"Nothing," replied Harry, and tried to busy himself with some eggs. But I saw him cast a look over to the Ravenclaw table, and so did Hermione, who shot him a knowing look.

Harry ignored her. Or maybe he didn't see her in the first place. Either way, he just kept eating with that smile on his face.

"Honestly, you _must_ have eaten something weird," said Ron, still watching Harry strangely. "What is there to be so pleased about?"

"Quidditch later," said Harry. I applauded him on the inside for his quick thinking and ability to change the subject. How come I couldn't do that?

Oh right, 'cause I don't really care about sports like guys do, fashion like Alice does, music like Edward or cars like Rose and Jake…

"Oh… yeah…" said Ron. He put down the piece of toast he was eating and took a large swig of pumpkin juice. Then he said, "Listen… you don't fancy going out a bit earlier with me, do you? Just to - er - give me some practice before training? So I can, you know, get my eye in a bit."

Hermione looked livid as he said that, and began lecturing Harry and Ron about doing their homework, which effectively wiped the smile of Harry's face.

Shame.

Although, I don't understand how what had happened could make him so happy. I mean, with everything that is going on and all that has been happening during the year… I mean, they didn't kiss or anything, he didn't ask her out…

But then again, I remember how I felt when Edward so much as looked at me – how I still feel. But however she makes Harry feel, for some reason I have a feeling that she isn't all that good for him… but I don't know why. I mean, she seems like a nice enough girl.

I was snapped out of my thoughts by Hermione's exclamation as she read the paper.

"Oh no! Sirius!"

"What?" asked Harry frantically. "What's happened?"

Edward elbowed me in the ribs, and I turned from Hermione to look at Edward.

"What?"

"We have to pretend we didn't hear," said Edward. "Sirius is a mass murderer to the wizarding world, remember?"

Oh yeah. Oops.

"Alright," I sighed, "But how are we supposed to pretend we didn't hear?"

"I'd say something like this," said Edward, leaning a little closer so his lips were practically on my ear.

"Edward," I said, "Rose will kill us."

"So?" asked Edward. "That is not as bad as what would happen if Hermione begins to wonder why we are concerned for Sirius' welfare and not hoping he is caught."

"Good point," I whispered, not really caring anymore because Edward had his lips at my neck. I sincerely hoped that no one was watching…

"Listen to them now," said Edward.

I stared to look over to them, but Edward stopped me by putting a hand on my waist. I wondered what this must look like to the other people in the hall. A brother comforting his sister, maybe? I could only hope so.

Harry, Ron and Hermione were talking about Some guy called Sturgis Podmore who got caught breaking into the ministry.

Hang on a second.

"Sturgis Podmore," I whispered. "He was one of the men who came in to test how effective magic was on us."

"Yes," said Edward. "He's part of the order."

He pulled away from me, and we stared at each other for a while.

As Ron suggested, this couldn't be a coincidence. There had to be something more.

xXx

After breakfast, Edward and I followed Hermione to the Library while Harry and Ron trudged out to the Quidditch pitch. The whole way through the corridors, Hermione complained about Harry and Ron's inability to be organized and get their homework done, and their tenancies to drop every thing important – including their future, which apparently rested on their OWL scores – just to throw a little ball back and forth while sitting on objects that should be used for cleaning.

After a while, we finally made it to the library and were able to start work – the one thing that seemed effective at shutting Hermione up. She seemed to force her anger into her hands, making her writing faster and her work better. It would have been pretty cool to watch, if it hadn't have been homework. However, she was so absorbed in her work that she didn't seem to notice who was sitting with her or that we hadn't done any work at all, as we had already finished it all, so we were able to just sit, pretend to read and quietly chat.

We managed to excuse ourselves from lunch, claiming we weren't hungry and had a lot of work to do, which almost seemed to buy Hermione our respect – if it weren't for the narrowing of her eyes and the thoughts I could almost see swirling around in her brain. I didn't need Edward's gift to know what she was thinking.

_They never eat…_

Thank goodness we had Jacob and Nessie to ruin that image for her. Surely it couldn't last long, though…

Maybe we should have just stuck it out and ate lunch, no matter how horrible it felt going down _and_ back up.

After lunch, Hermione came back to the library looking irritated again. I guess Harry and Ron showed little thought to their homework.

Nothing interesting happened until about an hour later, when we got an unexpected visit.

"Hi guys," said a soft voice, and we turned to see Rosalie and Jasper.

"Hi," I said, and gestured for them to sit. As they did so, Hermione looked up from her books with a jerk.

When she looked at Jasper, she smiled slightly, but as her eyes passed over Rosalie, they narrowed. She didn't say anything – she simply went back to work, but her whole body looked tense.

"So, what are you doing here?" asked Edward.

"Passing by," said Jasper. "Rose finally got away from the weasel. He was talking about watching some sport or something, and she got out of it by complaining about her nails."

"Sport?" asked Hermione, her head jerking up again. "You mean Quidditch?"

"It might have been," snapped Rose. "What does it matter?"

"Ron and Harry are practicing Quidditch, and it is Ron's first try. If Malfoy and his cronies are there…"

"They'll be fine," said Jasper, calming her down with his gift as well as his tone. It was risky, but he did it automatically. "It's not like they can actually hurt them."

"And Harry and Ron are much too smart to allow themselves to be taken apart by tacky insults," I added.

"I know Harry is," said Hermione, "but I don't know about Ron."

"You worry to much," sad Rose. Then she turned back to us. "But the main thing is, I got away from Malfoy and I have something I need to talk to you about."

"And what's that?" I asked.

"Can't you guess?" asked Rose coldly.

I looked at her blankly, while Edward sighed in exasperation, clearly reading Rosalie's thoughts.

"She's annoyed at us for this morning," said Edward. When I still looked confused, he added; "At the breakfast table?"

If Hermione wondered how he knew that, she didn't comment. Maybe she just thought that Edward was smarter than me and understood what Rose had been getting to. Which wouldn't really be wrong.

"Oh," I said. Then I frowned. "What's wrong, Rose? It's not like we did anything…"

"There are _already_ rumors going around, you know," said Rose.

"Yeah, right," snorted Jasper. "Rumors about how close the Cullen siblings are, and rumors about how our grandparents have died."

"Jasper!" groaned Rose. "I was having fun with that!"

Once again, I looked at her confused. She was joking with us? That didn't seem like Rose.

"But still," she insisted, "Please don't do that again; if everyone thinks we are really close, it will be harder to play my trick on Malfoy. Not to mention that it was breakfast time and everyone was eating."

"Like you and Emmett aren't worse," I huffed. "And when are you going to do this trick thing, anyway? I've been looking forward to it."

"It's going to be great," said Edward, smiling.

"Get out of my head," growled Rose.

"Anyway, I guess we'll see you guys later," said Jasper.

"You're leaving already?" I asked.

"Yeah, Alice and Nessie are playing gobstones, and they have enforced a no dodging rule. Of course, as it relies on skill Alice doesn't quite have such an advantage…"

"It's hilarious when she gets goop in her hair," laughed Rose. "I would _not_ want to be on the receiving end of that. Plus, Emmett is there so…"

"Careful," said Edward, "You might ruin your… cover."

"Might being the operative word," said Rose. "Besides, all the other Slytherins are having too much fun laughing at the Gryffindors. See you guys later!"

Then, with a wave from Jasper, they got up and walked out of the library, heading for wherever it was that the rest of our family were playing gobstones.

"Well, Rose was kind of…"

"Cheerful?" said Edward, finding the word I had been looking for. "Yeah, she was just excited about the upcoming Quidditch match."

"Your sister likes sports?" asked Hermione curiously.

"Yeah, why?" I asked.

"She just doesn't seem the type," she answered.

"Well, you should see her when we play baseball," I laughed. "She gets so competitive, it's quite scary at times."

"You play baseball?" This time, she was surprised because she thought I'd be the type to not want to mess up my hair.

"It's an American pastime," I said in a 'why-can't-you-see-something-so-obvious' kind of tone. It was the same answer Edward had given me all those years ago, and like me Hermione accepted it.

"I guess I have just never thought of wizards and witches playing Muggle sport," said Hermione. "Do you enhance it in any way?"

"Oh, a little," smirked Edward, and I was forced to hold in a laugh.

Thankfully, Hermione withheld any more baseball related questions, and went on with her work.

It was nice spending time with Hermione, even if she was completely engrossed in her work. She was good company.

I wondered again if she had found us out… and if she would tell anyone if she had.

I liked to think that she wouldn't. She seemed like the sort of person to stick by other people, even if they were hiding something. She would try to find it out, sure, but if she did… I liked to think that she would give that person – us – a chance before she went shouting out that we were a potential menace.

xXx

That night, we spent some time outside the castle, talking with our family. There wasn't much time to do anything during the day at the moment, what with classes and the separate houses and Rose's plan and Umbridge.

Of course, Nessie and Jacob left early so they could sleep – they didn't want to, but after Nessie started sleeping on the grass we convinced them to go back inside.

We didn't do much really. We talked, messed around, swapped stories and things that had been going on in the castle. Edward and I told everyone about the story in the newspaper – apparently, Carlisle and Esme had seen both the stories about Sirius and Podmore as well – and Rosalie and Jasper told us what they had heard going on amongst the Slytherins; not much really, just hatred of the other house and plans to kill Harry Potter that would never be put into action.

At about two in the morning, Edward and Alice both groaned and then announced that it would be best if we went back inside. We made it into the entrance hall just in time, as just as the door shut behind us, Dolores Umbridge came around the corner.

"Hem, hem."

Some people may see it as strange that I think that was perfect timing – well, we could have been a little earlier so we were away from the door a bit more, but still – we would have been so much worse off if she had caught us outside.

"What's this?" she asked in that horrible girly voice of hers.

"We were just going for a family walk," said Carlisle smoothly.

"At this hour? And it is hardly a family walk if you are missing two children. Where are Miss Masen and Mr Black?"

"They decided to stay inside and sleep," said Esme.

"Ah." Then she faced Rose. "Miss Hale, I am disappointed in you. I thought you were better than this."

"I'm sorry, Professor. I said I didn't want to go, I really did, but then father told me it was a family event and… and Renesmee was only excused because she is the youngest and Jacob has some problems sleeping. I am sorry, truly!"

It was obvious why she was doing this. As the only 'real' Slytherin in our family, she was the only one that had even the slightest chance of being able to keep an eye on Umbridge.

"Well, I expect better from you next time," said Umbridge. Then she stared hard at the rest of us. I had a _slight_ suspicion that Umbridge favored Rose. Just a slight one.

"Dolores," said Carlisle, "They were with Esme and I, and so they should not be punished."

"It is still school rules," huffed Umbridge.

"At least let them off with a warning," pleaded Esme.

"Fine!" said Umbridge. "You will all get a warning, and if I catch you with one toe over the line…"

Her voice faded, then she looked at Carlisle and Esme and said in a pleasant voice;

"I would watch your steps if I were you, or your stay in Great Britain may be a lot shorter than you thought it would be."

With that, she gave us a horrible, twisted smile and then walked away.

"I'm sorry," said Alice, "I should have seen it before."

"You saw it just in time," said Jasper, comforting her.

"He's right," said Edward. "It would have been so much worse if she had caught us outside, you saw that."

Alice opened her mouth to reply, but Rosalie cut across her.

"How about we just go back to our common rooms before we get in even more trouble, hmm?"

"That sounds like a great idea," said Esme, who then began to usher us away. "Be good now! Try not to cause too many problems!"

"Why do you always look at _me_ when you say that?" whined Emmett.

"Because it is always you that seems to make the biggest mess of things," I said, grinning.

"Hey!"

"I think that's our cue to leave," said Edward, taking my hand and towing me down the corridor.

xXx

The next day, Emmett came around to where we were sitting at lunch and told us that unless we wanted to die a very slow and painful death at the hands of a manticore he would somehow buy online, we would have to go and play gobstones with the rest of the family.

By the rest of the family, I here mean Alice, Jake, Nessie, Jasper and Emmett, as Carlisle and Esme were busy planning lessons and Rose was once again playing the role of the 'perfect' Slytherin.

Apparently, the gobstone game yesterday was such a hit that everyone wanted to play it again, but this time include the two of us.

I took this to mean that Emmett and Jasper wanted to try and get one up on Edward. Knowing Jake, he probably did too, but he would have wanted to offend the parents of the girl he loved.

Clever boy.

So, there I was in an empty classroom with a couple of goop-spurting balls and a couple of crazy family members.

"Alright!" exclaimed Emmett. "Welcome, welcome to the Cullen gobstone competition! First up, we have yesterday's champion, Renesmee Cullen! Well, Nessie, who do you want to challenge?"

Nessie's answer was short, to the point, and rather satisfying.

"You."

"You want to challenge me, squirt?"

"Yes, uncle Em. Prepare to have your butt whooped!"

"Whipped Ness, the word is whipped."

"Whatever, Em, lets play. The sooner we start, the sooner I will have won!"

"You really think you can beat me?"

"Yep!"

"Hmm, let me think. How old am I?"

"One hundred and seven?"

"And how old are you?"

"Seventeen?"

"And who is going to totally win this thing?"

"Me of course!" Nessie replied happily, taking her seat. "Well, come on then, uncle! Get your one hundred and seven year old butt over here so I can cover you with smelly purple goo!"

True to her word, Nessie completely thrashed Emmett at the game, and he did end up covered in smelly purple goo. It was awful. Absolutely hilarious, yeah. But still awful. I mean, that stuff smells _disgusting._

"Alright!" yelled Nessie. "Who's up next!"

"I will!" I said, smiling.

"Who do you challenge, mom?" asked Ness.

"Alice."

"What?" asked Alice. "Oh no. You couldn't mean me, no way. I am _not_ playing that horrible game ever again."

"Yes you are, Alice, and you know it," said Edward, pushing her down into the chair.

"Go on, Bella," cheered Jacob, "Cover her hair and her clothes in slime!"

"You wouldn't," said Alice darkly.

"Well, would you rather my clothes got covered in slime?" I asked gesturing to the outfit I had found in my case labelled with today's date. I don't know how she did it, but Alice seemed to have put an undetectable extension charm on all our cases and filled them with a different outfit for every day we would not be required to wear school uniform. I don't know how she had the time… or the motivation.

Then again, it is Alice I'm talking about…

Alice was alternating between staring sadly at my outfit, and then staring sadly at hers.

"I know!" she exclaimed, suddenly perking up. "Bella, you can forfeit, and then neither of us will be covered in goo!"

"Why don't _you_ forfeit?" I asked with a grin, knowing Alice wouldn't want to give up that easily, even if it meant stopping herself and her clothes from turning permanently purple and sticky.

"You know," said Jasper, sounding bored, "You could just use a cleaning a charm…"

He waved his wand and muttered a spell, and all the putrid smelling stuff cleared off Emmett instantly.

"I thought you weren't meant to be able to do that?" I said curiously. Normally, if you lost in gobstones, the stuff stayed on until you had a shower or went for a swim with a bar of soap or something.

"Vampire spells are stronger, remember?" asked Jasper.

"Oh yeah," I said, stupidly.

"Fine," said Alice. "Get ready Bella, because you are going _down._"

Really, vampires are amazing gobstone players, because we are able to judge the exact force needed to get the ball to roll exactly where it needed to. However, that does not stop the other player from knocking your balls out of the way.

In the end, Alice beat me, and I got covered in the foul smelling stuff, causing her to give off a loud cheer.

Just after she did, the door of the classroom opened and Hermione walked in.

She seemed a little taken aback by what she saw, as if she expected Edward and I to be taking a part in some vampiric ritual. Instead, she simply saw a family enjoying a game.

"Oh," she said. "Sorry, I was just…"

"It's alright," said Nessie, smiling. "Did you want to play with us?"

"Well, I really should-"

"I mean, if you don't have anything else to do," continued Ness. "If you are needed somewhere else, that's fine. We understand."

"No, no, I'll play," said Hermione, turning slightly pink. "I just didn't think you'd want me-"

"Why wouldn't we want you if we were the ones asking?" asked Jasper.

"Well…"

"Great!" exclaimed Emmett. "You can verse Edward. No one seems to be able to beat him at anything, but you are really, really smart so if anyone has a chance – apart from Bella, who sucks at just about everything anyway – it's you."

"Hey!" I exclaimed. "I do not suck at everything!"

"Yeah, you do Bells," smirked Emmett.

"Do not!"

"Do too!"

"Do not!"

"Oh no, not again," groaned Jake. Rubbing his face with his hands. "I'm going to get a headache."

I would have thought that at least Edward would have been on my side, but he just stood with the others, watching with a small smile on his face.

"You do to, and you know it."

"Do not!"

"You just lost to Alice in a gobstones match!"

"So, you lost to Nessie!"

"Is that supposed to mean something?" asked Ness in a stubborn tone, but I could tell she didn't really mind. She wanted me to win this argument.

I think.

"Yeah, well, she cheated."

"How so?"

"She just did, okay?"

"What about arm wrestling, then? I beat you at that!"

"Yeah, but you can't anymore. And besides, you know that was just _newbie_ luck."

"I'm faster than you."

"Doesn't mean you are better at running than me. All that time _before_ kind of ruined the record you have now."

He was only hinting due to the fact that Hermione was still in the room, watching with wide eyes, but I knew what he meant.

"I'm better at cooking," I said. Emmett gave me a blank look.

"You know that doesn't count."

"I can clean."

"Bah."

"And I've beaten you at Halo many times."

"What? No you haven't!"

"Uh, yes she has, Em," said Jasper. Then he grinned and said: "Many times."

"And at Mario Kart," added Nessie.

"And at all the card games we used to play, like poker," added Edward.

"That was just because you ganged up on me," whined Emmett. It wasn't fair!"

"And remember all the pranks she's played on you?" asked Alice. "She's way better than you at that!"

"Yeah well, I know something I am _definitely_ better than you at," said Em, a sparkle in his eyes. Oh no. I know that sparkle.

"Oh yeah, what's that?" asked Nessie, her hands on her hips. Oh no.

"Well, you'd better ask Rose for the professional opinion," said Emmett, but before he could keep going, I gave him a shove.

"Meet the floor, Emmett!" He hadn't been expecting it, so he fell to the ground.

He didn't get up like I thought he would. He didn't get even the slightest bit angry like I thought he would. He simply lay there on his stomach, gazing at the floor. Then, he gave it a bit of a pat and said:

"Hello, Floor, nice to meet you! I'm Bella's brother, Emmett. I hear you two are _great_ friends."

I scowled, but everyone else burst out laughing.

I did laugh, though, when I heard Hermione mutter:

"These people are _crazy_."

Well, I guess that is one way of putting it, I suppose.

"Well, come on then," said Emmett, hopping up and dusting himself off like nothing had happened. "Eddie, you are playing Hermione! Chop, chop!"

"Emmett, how many times do I have to tell you?" groaned Edward. "I really don't like being called Eddie."

"Yeah, yeah," said Emmett, waving his hand. "Just like how Rosie doesn't like it when I touch her hair. We all know you really do."

Edward and Hermione's game ended in a draw with them both being squirted in the horrible smelling purple gloop. Hermione was curious – just as I had been – when Edward cleaned her off with magic, but we told her it was a custom made set of gobstones our uncle had bought us. It wasn't true – it was just a set that Esme bought us from Diagon Alley, but Hermione didn't need to know that.

We played a few more games, but after a while Hermione announced that she should really head back up and see how Harry and Ron were and to make some more elf hats – it seemed like she hadn't given up on that idea despite the advice we gave her. We followed her out, deciding we had smelt enough of that terrible stuff to last a lifetime.

"You guys are really close to your siblings, aren't you," said Hermione as we were walking back.

"Yes, we are," said Edward.

"It must be nice having such a large family," sighed Hermione, "One that you can share stuff with. I mean, my parents try their hardest to understand, but…"

I thought about how hard it must have been for Hermione. She was Muggle born, so although her parents know about this magical world, she was right – they wouldn't really understand. And she had no siblings, so she had no one to talk to at home. It must be hard.

"Yeah," I sighed. "Yeah, it's nice."

xXx

The rest of the day went by fairly quickly. We sat in the common room and chatted to Hermione while she knitted hats and socks, occasionally sparing a glance to Harry and Ron who were slaving away at homework they should have completed days ago.

One time, at about seven o'clock, Edward gasped and looked towards the fire. Luckily, Hermione was concentrating on finishing off a hat, so she didn't notice.

I lowered my mental shield and asked Edward what was going on.

"A first year just saw Sirius Black's head in the fire," he whispered.

Um, what?

"I don't know. I've been getting flickers for a while, like there has been something there for about a second once every hour. I think Sirius must be checking in on Harry."

That's really risky.

"I know. But there isn't much we can do about it."

A couple of hours later, when the common room had completely cleared save for the five of us, Hermione went over to Harry and Ron to see if they needed any help.

It seemed pretty normal. Hermione tried to help. Ron got angry with her Hermione tried to tell him something. Ron assumed she was trying to help again and got more angry. Hermione pointed out the owl outside the window. Ron-

No, wait a minute. Did they just say that was Percy's owl?

I had never actually met Percy, but I had heard about him. The order members talked about Percy Weasley sometimes, commenting on how mean he had been to his mother and how terrible he was being to his family.

And what a traitor he was for supporting the ministry, even though he _knew_ Harry and _knew_ he wouldn't lie about something this big.

Ron walked past us to collect the letter, but it seemed like he didn't even notice us.

They didn't read the letter aloud, but Harry's back was to us, so I was able to read it from a distance over his shoulder. From his position, Edward couldn't see without being obvious, so I opened my mind to let him see what I saw.

It was awful. It made venom pool in my mouth. If I ever caught Percy Weasley, He would be dead before he had the chance to ask '_why?_'.

_Dear Ron,_

_I have only just heard (from no less a person than the Minister for Magic himself, who has it from your new teacher, Professor Umbridge) that you have become a Hogwarts prefect. I was most pleasantly surprised when I heard this news and must firstly offer my congratulations._

_I must admit that I have always been afraid that you would take what we might call the 'Fred and George' route, rather than following in my footsteps, so you can imagine my feelings on hearing you have stopped flouting authority and have decided to shoulder some real responsibility._

_But I want to give you more than congratulations, Ron, I want to give you some advice, which is why I am sending this at night rather than by the usual morning post. Hopefully, you will be able to read this away from prying eyes and avoid awkward questions._

_From something the Minister let slip when telling me you are now a prefect, I gather that you are still seeing a lot of Harry Potter. I must tell you, Ron, that nothing could put you in danger of losing your badge more than continued fraternization with that boy. _

_Yes, I am sure you are surprised to hear this - no doubt you will say that Potter has always been Dumbledore's favourite — but I feel bound to tell you that Dumbledore may not be in charge at Hogwarts much longer and the people who count have a very different - and probably more accurate - view of Potter's behaviour. I shall say no more here, but if you look at the Daily Prophet tomorrow you will get a good idea of the way the wind is blowing — and see if you can spot yours truly!_

_Seriously, Ron, you do not want to be tarred with the same brush as Potter, it could be very damaging to your future prospects, and I am talking here about life after school, too. As you must be aware, given that our father escorted him to court, Potter had a disciplinary hearing this summer in front of the whole Wizengamot and he did not come out of it looking too good. He got off on a mere technicality, if you ask me, and many of the people I've spoken to remain convinced of his guilt._

_It may be that you are afraid to sever ties with Potter - I know that he can be unbalanced and, for all I know, violent but if you have any worries about this, or have spotted anything else in Potter's behaviour that is troubling you, I urge you to speak to Dolores Umbridge, a truly delightful woman who I know will be only too happy to advise you._

_This leads me to my other bit of advice. As I have hinted above, Dumbledore's regime at Hogwarts may soon be over. Your loyalty, Ron, should be not to him, but to the school and the Ministry. I am very sorry to hear that, so far, Professor Umbridge is encountering very little cooperation from staff as she strives to make those necessary changes within Hogwarts that the Ministry so ardently desires (although she should find this easier from next week — again, see the Daily Prophet tomorrow!). I shall say only this - a student who shows himself willing to help Professor Umbridge now may be very well-placed for Head Boyship in a couple of years!_

_I am sorry that I was unable to see more of you over the summer. It pains me to criticize our parents, but I am afraid I can no longer live under their roof while they remain mixed up with the dangerous crowd around Dumbledore. (If you are writing to Mother at any point, you might tell her that a certain Sturgis Podmore, who is a great friend of Dumbledore's, has recently been sent to Azkaban for trespass at the Ministry. Perhaps that will open their eyes to the kind of petty criminals with whom they are currently rubbing shoulders.) I count myself very lucky to have escaped the stigma of association with such people - the Minister really could not be more gracious to me — and I do hope, Ron, that you will not allow family ties to blind you to the misguided nature of our parents' beliefs and actions, either. I sincerely hope that, in time, they will realize how mistaken they were and I shall, of course, be ready to accept a full apology when that day comes._

_Please think over what I have said most carefully, particularly the bit about Harry Potter, and congratulations again on becoming prefect._

_Your brother,_

_Percy_

"That's just…" I paused, unable to find a word. Then I sighed. "Poor Ron, having a brother like that."

"Poor Harry," said Edward, "He's feeling horrible right now…"

I listened to him asking Ron if he wanted to 'sever ties' with a heavy heart. That must be awful, having your best friend's brother thinking about you like that. Especially if he used to – somewhat – like you.

Ron surprised me. I knew he would ever want to split with Harry just because of something his least favourite brother had said, but I didn't expect him to rip up the letter, throw it in the fire and continue on with his homework like nothing had happened. If I am being honest, I think it is the best thing Ron could have possibly done – besides hunting down Percy and killing him slowly and painfully.

Wow. Normally, I am a very non-violent person.

Thankfully, Hermione took Ron's lead and got back to work on Harry's homework like the good friend that she was.

Harry, however, was ignoring Hermione's advice about the moons of Jupiter and instead was crawling across the floor towards the fire.

I sighed.

"He's seen Sirius too, hasn't he?"

Edward nodded in reply.

Well, lets just hope that Harry, Ron and Hermione didn't realise that we were still here…

I turned myself into a statue, not moving, not breathing, not making a sound, hoping that they wouldn't notice me. Beside me, I felt Edward freezing up, doing the same as me. Hopefully, Percy's disgraceful letter and Sirius' appearance will have driven every thought of us from their minds.

Just then, Sirius' head popped into the fire.

It was bizarre. I know that Dumbledore had travelled to our house by fire the day all this started. I know floo powder was possible… I had actually seen Tonks do it once from our fire place, one time when she didn't want to apparate. But seeing Sirius' disembodied head floating around in the fire was a little bit strange.

"Sirius!" exclaimed Hermione.

Sirius spat something out of his mouth – I realised it looked like an envelope – before grinning at the three of them.

"I was starting to think you'd go to bed before everyone else had disappeared," he said. "I've been checking every hour."

"You've been popping into the fire every hour?" asked Harry incredulously. Okay, so it _was_ Sirius that Edward had been sensing.

"Just for a few seconds to check if the coast was clear."

"But what if you'd been seen?" said Hermione anxiously.

"Well, I think a girl - first-year, by the look of her - might've got a glimpse of me earlier, but don't worry" Sirius said hastily, as Hermione clapped a hand to her mouth, "I was gone the moment she looked back at me and I'll bet she just thought I was an oddly-shaped log or something."

"She didn't," said Edward lowly. "She just decided that she had a terrible imagination and went straight to bed."

"Poor girl," I sighed. I seemed to be pitying a lot of people lately.

"But Sirius," said Hermione, "This is still taking an awful risk! What if some one had-"

Suddenly, she gasped, and spun around to look us in horror.

"Oh crap," I said.

"Oh," said Sirius, seeming shocked. "Oops."

"What are you doing?" hissed Harry. "Get back, Sirius!"

"No, it's fine," sighed Sirius, looked ashamed. "Sorry guys, I guess I ruined it, didn't I?"

Harry, Ron and Hermione looked confused as they thought he was speaking to them, but then their expressions turned to ones of shock as I spoke back.

"Yeah Sirius, you made a right mess of things. Gee, and I thought Emmett would be the one to give it away," I groaned.

"Sorry," said Sirius again, still looking ashamed. "But look, I came here because I needed to give something to you two as well. I was thinking you'd come down at some point during the night-"

"Sirius!" I exclaimed.

His expression turned sheepish, and he apologised again.

"Just keep talking," sighed Edward, rubbing his face with his hands.

"Right," sighed Sirius. "Remus told me to make sure this got to you." He nodded his head towards the envelope he had spat out earlier. "He couldn't think of a way to reply to your letter without resorting to a code, as he couldn't erm-" he glanced at the trio, who were looking increasingly confused and shocked- "let's say _replicate_ the charm you put on your letter, and codes can be broken. So I'm the delivery man for today. Same goes for your letter, Harry."

"You wrote a letter to Lupin?" asked Ron. At first I thought he was talking to us, but then I realised his question was directed at Harry. I think he decided that the best way to deal with the strange situation was to ignore the two of us.

"No," said Harry. "I wrote to Sirius."

"Harry!" exclaimed Hermione. "You know that's risky!"

"There was no way anyone could have gotten anything out of it though, was there Sirius?"

"No, it was very good," said Sirius, smiling proudly. But then, to the trio's annoyance, he turned back to me. "Oh, and that's another thing, Bella – Remus was wondering if you could teach that trick to Harry. You know, the changing one."

"I'm sure Hermione can already do it," I said, "But you know that it wouldn't be as… _secure_ as if one of us did it."

"That's true," sighed Sirius. Then he turned back to the trio. "Alright then, I guess if any of you want to be sending anything to us then you should get Bella or Edward to fix the letter before you send it. That way, there is not need to worry about codes or secretive writing, so long as you are careful not to let anyone read it before you see Edward or Bella."

"Or Jacob," added Edward. "He is the best of us at transfiguration, due to certain, ah, qualities that he possesses."

I nodded.

"What?" exclaimed Harry. "Sirius, before today we didn't even know you knew Edward and Bella, how-" he lowered his voice and leaned in, thinking we couldn't hear. "How are we supposed to know that we can trust them?"

"Dumbledore trusts them just as much as he trusts you and Ron and Hermione," said Sirius softly. "That's enough for me."

"Dumbledore trust's Snape too," spat Harry.

"Yes, but these guys are actually nice," said Sirius, in a tone that closed the subject. "Now then Harry, about your scar…"

After that, Edward and I faded into a corner and let the four of them talk for a bit. It was interesting to learn more about Harry's scar. Sirius' talk about Umbridge making life hard for werewolves made my blood boil – figuratively, of course. I know that some werewolves are evil, but not all of them. Especially not Remus.

That foul woman just spoiled everything she touched, like she was plague or something.

It was interesting to hear about Hagrid and Madame Maxime – I hope they had good luck with the giants, but Sirius wasn't giving anything away.

Then, Harry and Sirius got into an argument – Sirius wanted to sneak out but Harry was adamant he shouldn't in case he got caught. Sirius got angry and left – but not before gave Edward a look.

Edward nodded, and Sirius disappeared.

I was hoping that the three of them would forget that we were there and go up to their dorms, but no such luck.

The moment Sirius was gone Harry walked to the fire, scooped up Remus' letter and walked over to us, an angry expression on his face.

"So."

I waited for him to continue.

"So, would you care to explain how you know my godfather?"

I sighed, and decided it would be best if Edward took this one over, as he would be able to see into Harry's mind and therefore know what to say.

"I think you already know, Harry," said Edward.

Well, I wasn't expecting that. Apparently, neither did Harry. He looked incredibly confused for about the hundredth time tonight.

"What?"

"At least Ron does."

Now Ron looked confused. Again.

"What do you mean?" he asked.

"On the train, you recognised our father's name," said Edward. Ah, I see what he is getting at.

"I don't-" started Ron, then recognition dawned across his face. "Oh."

"What is it, Ron?" asked Harry impatiently.

"Carlisle Cullen," said Ron, nodding. "I knew it. I knew he was the same person we heard dad talking about!"

Hermione let out a little '_oh_!' but Harry still didn't get it.

"Harry," said Hermione, "Carlisle Cullen is a part of the order. We heard Mr. Weasley talking to Mrs Weasley about it during summer. Dumbledore convinced him to come over from America to help out!"

"You're a part of the order?" asked Harry, looking at us.

"No," said Edward, "But our parents are. We're still too young. However, we met Sirius just before summer started, when we first moved here."

"And Lupin?" asked Harry.

"He's an old family friend," lied Edward.

"Right…"

"So, can I have that letter?" I asked, staring at the envelope in his hands.

It was making me nervous. That piece of parchment in his hands most likely stated that we were vampires… and if Harry found out about that…

"Why did you write to Lupin?" asked Hermione suspiciously.

"Why not?" I asked. "He's our friend."

"Yes," said Hermione exasperatedly, "But what was your _reason_ for writing?"

"Just to tell him how things are going," said Edward.

"And to tell him we met you guys," I added. "He used to write to us about you three sometimes, about two years ago."

"That was when he was teaching here," said Ron, unnecessarily. I nodded in response.

"Why are you here?" asked Harry, fingering the letter. Just one little decision on his part and then the three of them would know what we are…

"We told you," said Edward. "We're here because Dumbledore asked our father to come and help with the situation."

"Yes, but _why_?" asked Harry again, getting frustrated. "How does Dumbledore want him to help? And why him?"

Well, we could hardly answer that one, now could we?

_Oh yes, Harry, we're here to help because we're vampires, which means we are virtually unaffected by any magic wielded by a human, save fire spells such as _Incendio_, Fiend Fyre and _Confringo._ Oh, and we were sent here to watch over you and spy on the Slytherins, because we are technically all over seventeen years old. Nothing much, really. Just stuff anyone could do._

Yeah, 'cause that would go over so well.

Thankfully, Edward thought of a much better excuse.

"How are we supposed to know? They don't tell us anything, because they say we are too young." He even got the 'frustrated-teenager-who-thinks-he-is-older-than-he-really-is' look down perfectly.

Or maybe it's just because Edward really is older than he is… if that makes any sense. He's probably used to being called a kid by adults and thinking that he is older than them. Even I get that… and I'm only thirty-six.

Harry nodded, then turned to me, looking betrayed.

Great. What had I done now?

"Why didn't you tell me?" he asked.

"Why didn't you tell me?" I countered.

"You knew I knew about the order," said Harry. "But I didn't know you knew until now. I could hardly go around telling random people, could I?"

"Good point," I said. But then I glanced at Hermione and Ron. "Fine then. Why didn't your friends tell you?"

"What?" Ah, he was confused again. Maybe I should stop doing that.

"During the summer, when they were in London, why didn't they tell you?"

"Because Dumbledore made them!" said Harry forcibly. "They didn't have a choice!"

"Did you ever stop to think that maybe we were in the same situation?" I asked softly.

Harry's eyes widened.

"Dumbledore made you not tell?"

Well, his gramma wasn't that brilliant, but I got the question.

"Yes. He made us swear not to tell you that our father was in the order. I'm sorry we lied," I sighed, "but it isn't like we had that much of a choice, like you said."

"Why?" asked Harry.

"We don't know," said Edward, taking over. "But I'm sure he had a good reason."

"I wonder why, though," mused Hermione. "I mean, we would have trusted you if we'd known your secret before…"

I almost laughed with relief. Hermione thought she knew our secret. Maybe now she would lay off a little.

Edward, seeming to guess what I was thinking, shook his head at me.

What? Maybe he was trying to hint at Hermione's thoughts. I would have to ask him later.

"So that's it then?" asked Ron. "You are kind of like us… unable to do anything to help the order and not knowing much. Actually, you'd be a little further down because… well, you haven't done half the stuff we have and, having the privilege of living at headquarters during the summer we have been able to eavesdrop."

"_Ron!"_ reprimanded Hermione. Ron looked a little sheepish, but didn't take back what he had said.

"Well, now you know," I said with another sigh. "I hope you don't think too badly of us now."

"I… don't know," said Harry.

"Oh Harry," said Hermione, "Nothing has changed really, except for the fact that we know these guys are not some spies from Voldemort, sent from the states to kill us all." She paused and looked me up and down carefully, like she was searching for something. Then, she smiled and said; "Well then, goodnight Bella, 'night Edward."

"'Night," I said, and Edward nodded. Then, she went up to the dormitories.

"Well then," said Harry, swallowing. "I guess I will go to sleep now too." He passed me that envelope that – thank God – he had not opened. "Good night."

We wished him good night, and then he too went up to bed, Ron trailing behind him.

"That went well," I said.

"It could have been worse," agreed Edward. "Much worse."

"What now?" I asked.

"Now, you can open your letter, if you want, and I would strongly suggest that you do. Other than that, Sirius is going to come back later… he wanted to speak to us privately."

Ah, so that is what that little look at the end had been.

"Okay," I said, opening the envelope. "Let's see what Remus has to tell us."

_Dear Bella,_

_I do not want this to be too long, so I shall get straight to the point._

_First of all, you are right. If Hermione finds out and tells the others what you are, you will lose all of their trust. It will be nigh impossible to get it back._

_However, I do not think Hermione will tell them if she _does_ find out. You wanted to know what she did when she learned that I was a werewolf. Well, I'll tell you. She kept it to herself and trusted that Dumbledore had made a well thought out decision when he appointed me as teacher._

_You are right there too – Hermione counts on Dumbledore's opinion, and she will know that he knows what you are._

_You also asked how I think she will react? Well, I believe – and Sirius agrees with me – that she will watch you, and learn about your character before she acts. And when she learns what good people you are… well, lets just say I don't think that you have too much to worry about._

_Now, as to whether werewolves or vampires are viewed as worse; would have to say werewolves. Vampires can be civilized (and here I am talking about vampires as we know them, the ones Edward declared were 'fake') but people believe that werewolves can not be. Also, people believe that vampires have more control._

_All in all, I think you shall be okay._

_With the best of luck, _

_Remus Lupin_

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><p><strong>There we are! Boy, but did that take a long time... Hope you enjoyed it! Please review, and also please try not to kill me! I would a appreciate it! Thanks a bunch!<strong>

**(-ducks again-)**

**See ya in February folks, just so long as I don't die of frostbite! ;)**_  
><em>


	11. Keeping a High Profile

**I'm back! **

**I know, I know, I meant to get this up a little earlier. Sorry about that, I've just been a little busy. But whatever - here is that much awaited chapter, and I hope that you all enjoy it!**

**Disclaimer: I can keep dreaming, but Harry Potter and Twilight will never belong to me.**

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 11<strong>

Keeping a High Profile

"So basically the ministry caught him working for the Death Eaters? He was a traitor?"

"No, no, no! He was under the imperius curse. That's why he wasn't there to help with getting everyone to Kings Cross on the first of September."

I looked at Sirius' head dubiously, while Edward rolled his eyes at me. Well, excuse me, but it isn't my fault that I didn't understand this the moment the thought popped into Sirius' mind. _Some_ people need to have these things explained.

"So Sturgis Podmore was breaking into the Department of Mysteries for Voldemort after being imperiused – most likely by Lucius Malfoy while he – Podmore – was wearing Moody's good invisibility cloak – and got caught by Ministry officials. Then he got sent to Azkaban, and that is why he wasn't there to take Harry to Kings Cross."

"Well, he wasn't taking Harry and the reason he wasn't there was because he was imperiused, not because he was in Azkaban because that happened a little while later. But other than that, yeah, you got it."

I just stared at him. Edward and I had our suspicions, but this…

"He got so close…" I whispered.

"Yeah," sighed Sirius. "I know. We will have to be extra careful from now on. We are giving the order members extra training in fighting the imperius curse, though Arthur thought maybe we could ask you to cover the person on guard."

I frowned.

"I thought you removed the memories of our tests from everyone's minds?" I asked.

"We left it for Arthur and Molly, considering the fact that you are spending a lot of time with their children. We told Carlisle this. We also left it for Moody, Remus, McGonagall, _Snape_, Kingsley, Tonks and myself, but you obviously knew this as well."

"Fair enough," I sighed.

"Anyway, you know Bella can't reach that far," said Edward, "Especially not for someone she has never even met."

"Yeah, Remus pointed that out. Molly was against it anyway – she sees you all as children, no matter how old you really are."

"She's just like Esme," I said, smiling.

"She is that," said Sirius.

"Anyway, why are you telling us this now?" asked Edward.

"You need to know what is going on if you are going to do your job properly," said Sirius, "and we couldn't have McGonagall or Snape or even Dumbledore tell you. You see, Umbridge may have ways of listening in, and even if Dumbledore knows about them – which he will if they are there – he can't get rid of them or he will alert Umbridge. Anyway, if Dumbledore does destroy them, Umbridge may come up with things that are harder to navigate around."

"Like what?" I asked.

"It's just a theory," said Sirius. I could tell he would have waved his hand if he had it with him.

"I guess," I said, "But what if she is watching the fires?"

"That is likely, but when you are watching the fires you would only know who is going where, not what they are saying. You would actually have to be _in_ the fire with the person to know that."

"So this is about as safe as we can get," sighed Edward. "Even when writing a letter it is easy to know who the letter is going to. Umbridge could just insert the owls with trackers."

"I never thought of that," said Sirius, "But electronics do not work in Hogwarts and anyway, I doubt she would use a muggle invention, even if she thought of it."

"Is there not some kind of magical tracker?" asked Edward.

"No," said Sirius. "If there were, no doubt the Ministry would have found me the day I escaped from Azkaban. I was a top security prisoner."

I nodded. That was evidence enough for me.

"Alright then. So basically you want us to give this information to the rest of our family?"

"Yes, and without being overheard, if possible."

"That shouldn't be to hard," said Edward.

"No, I suppose it wouldn't be. Well, that's it then. I guess I'll see you round. And don't forget to tell them _everything_ that I told you."

"Okay. Bye Sirius," I said, frowning slightly. The first bit of information that Sirius had given us was bad… we would have to be careful.

"Goodbye," said Edward.

"Oh, and guys?"

"Yeah?"

"Keep an eye on Harry for me, will you?"

"We already are," I said.

"No, I mean an extra eye. Things are starting to happen…"

"We know, Sirius," said Edward. "Don't worry. He's safe with us."

xXx

"What. The. Hell."

I glanced up from the scrambled eggs I was attempting to choke down to look at Ron. He was staring at the Daily Prophet, a look of pure horror on his face.

I looked at Edward. The expression on his face was just as bad, though I wasn't sure if it was from Ron's thoughts or the toast he was eating.

Harry leaned over Hermione to look at the newspaper.

"Umbridge – Inquisitor?" asked Harry. He leaned back and looked at Hermione. "What does that even mean?"

Hermione snatched the paper from Ron and began to read it out loud.

"In a surprise move last night the Ministry of Magic passed new legislation giving itself an unprecedented level of control at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry."

"Uh oh," I said, "That can't be good."

Hermione nodded in agreement before continuing to read.

"'The Minister has been growing uneasy about goings-on at Hogwarts for some time,' said junior Assistant to the Minister, Percy Weasley."

Edward and I snarled quietly, causing Harry, Ron and Hermione to look at us in surprise and – in Hermione's case – suspicion.

I just ignored them, pretending we hadn't done anything. It wasn't the best move, but hey, what else was I supposed to do?

Hermione kept staring at us through narrowed eyes until Harry impatiently asked her to keep reading.

"'He is now responding to concerns voiced by anxious parents, who feel the school may be moving in a direction they do not approve.'

"This is not the first time in recent weeks that the Minister, Cornelius Fudge, has used new laws to effect improvements at the wizarding school. As recently as August 30th, Educational Decree Number Twenty-two was passed, to ensure that, in the event of the current Headmaster being unable to provide a candidate for a teaching post, the Ministry should select an appropriate person.

"'That's how Dolores Umbridge came to be appointed to the teaching staff at Hogwarts,' said Weasley last night. 'Dumboldore couldn't find anyone so the Minister put in Umbridge, and of course, she's been an immediate success —'"

"Excuse me?" asked Edward.

"That's the stupidest thing I have ever heard!" exclaimed Ron.

"Success? Who do they think they're kidding?" asked Harry.

"Wait, there's more," said Hermione darkly.

"'—an immediate success, totally revolutionizing the teaching of Defence Against the Dark Arts and providing the Minister with on-the-ground feedback about what's really happening at Hogwarts.'

"It is this last function that the Ministry has now formalized with the passing of Educational Decree Number Twenty-three, which creates the new position of Hogwarts High Inquisitor.

"'This is an exciting new phase in the Minister's plan to get to grips with what some are calling the falling standards at Hogwarts,' said Weasley. 'The Inquisitor will have powers to inspect he fellow educators and make sure that they are coming up to scratch. Professor Umbridge has been offered this position in addition to her own teaching post and we are delighted to say that she has accepted.'

"The Ministry's new moves have received enthusiastic support from parents of students at Hogwarts.

'I feel much easier in my mind now that I know Dumbledore is being subjected to fair and objective evaluation,' said Mr. Lucius Malfoy, 41, speaking from his Wiltshire mansion last night.

'Many of us with our children's best interests at heart have been concerned about some of Dumbledore's eccentric decisions in the last few years and are glad to know that the Ministry is keeping an eye on the situation.'

"Among those eccentric decisions are undoubtedly the controversial staff appointments previously described in this newspaper, which have included the employment of werewolf Remus Lupin, half-giant Rubeus Hagrid and delusional ex-Auror, 'Mad-Eye' Moody.

"Rumors abound, of course, that Albus Dumbledore, once Supreme Mugwump of the International Confederation of Wizards and Chief Warlock of the Wizengamot, is no longer up to the task of managing the prestigious school of Hogwarts.

"'I think the appointment of the Inquisitor is a first step towards ensuring that Hogwarts has a headmaster in whom we can all repose our confidence,' said a Ministry insider last night.

"Wizengamot elders Griselda Marchbanks and Tiberius Ogden have resigned in protest at the introduction of the post of Inquisitor to Hogwarts.

"'Hogwarts is a school, not an outpost of Cornelius Fudge's office,' said Madam Marchbanks. 'This is a further disgusting attempt to discredit Albus Dumbledore.'

"(For a full account of Madam Marchbanks's alleged links to subversive goblin groups, turn to page seventeen.)"

"That's ridiculous," I huffed. "Who in their right mind-"

"And that's how we got dumped with Umbridge!" Interrupted Harry. He seemed to have temporarily forgotten last night in the heat of the moment. "Fudge made some stupid decree-"

"It's absolutely outrageous," said Hermione. "And how could Percy possibly be fine with all of-"

"You saw his letter," huffed Harry. "That should explain it enough."

"Not to mention all of those inspections," I added. "Those poor teachers. They are all doing a fine job, but one or two or maybe even more are bound to make a mistake purely from nerves with that horrible old toad breathing down their necks-"

Ron bursting out with laughter interrupted me.

"What?" I asked. Edward had started chuckling as well. This was so unfair.

"Oh, I can't wait to see McGonagall inspected," said Ron happily. "Umbridge won't know what's hit her."

Harry and Hermione smiled a little, then went back to their breakfast. They had been studiously ignoring us all morning, although I think the newspaper article had taken last night out of their minds a little. It seemed like it.

At least, I hope so.

xXx

Umbridge wasn't in our History of Magic class first period. Nor was she in our double potions class.

Snape was there however (obviously), and that was bad enough in itself. He went on and on about how he had marked those moonstone essays the way OWL papers would be marked, smiling at Harry horribly the entire time.

My hope from before was short lived. Harry and the others did not acknowledge us – well, I caught Hermione and Ron glancing in our direction every few minutes, but other than that, it was like we didn't even exist.

I huffed in frustration and stabbed at my slug, almost breaking the knife against the table.

Jasper shot me a warning look.

Oops.

At least Harry did okay in his essay. Edward told me both he and Ron got Ps, though Harry would have achieved an A if it were any other teacher marking. That calmed me a little. It was nice to know that I had helped him, even if the teacher had given him a horrible mark from it. At least it would mean he would do a little better in his exams where there would be an outsider marking his work.

Yeah, I was kidding myself. It's not like Harry would have gotten a 'D' if I hadn't helped him. He's too smart for that... Even if he doesn't realise it.

We got to lunch before Harry, Ron and Hermione, meaning that we sat down before them.

Harry not so subtly sat away from us.

I sighed.

"Hey," said Edward, "It isn't that bad. He'll get over it eventually."

"How do you know that?"

He just smiled. I rolled my eyes.

"Oh. Right."

"He's already forgiven you, he's just not sure how to be around us."

"Now you're just trying to make me feel better."

"Would I do that?"

I raised my eyebrows, causing him to laugh.

"I'm not though."

"Sure."

"No, really."

"_Now_ what are you arguing about? Who loves the other best? Who doesn't deserve the other? Or, my personal favourite: _Oh Edward, you really don't have to buy me another car! I can walk, honest!_"

"What the hell, Emmett?" I asked.

"Hmm, I don't know. What sort of a question is that anyway?"

"Emmett-" I started, but he just kept talking.

"I mean, really, how are you supposed to answer 'What the hell?' Now, if you had said 'What is hell', _then_ I could have told you. I couldn't have given you the answer if you'd asked 'Where is hell', but at least it is a question that actually makes sense-"

"Emmett!" interrupted Edward.

"What?"

Edward pointedly looked around us. Several students were looking our way, including Harry, Ron, Hermione, Fred and George who had paused their conversation about OWL grades to stare at Emmett.

As soon as the noticed our gaze, the five of them turned back to their conversation – though with a little more enthusiasm than before, it would seem.

"Oh. Right."

"Was there a reason you came over, Emmett?" I asked.

"Well yeah, of course. There is a reason to everything Bella, even if it doesn't seem like it."

"Just get to the point, Em," sighed Edward, pinching the bridge of his nose.

"Right. Well, Rose said that Nessie said that Jake said that Jasper said that Alice said you had something to tell me."

"Um, right."

"I didn't know we had something to tell you," I said, confused. I looked at Edward, but he was staring at Emmett.

"Why didn't Alice just come to us herself?"

"Apparently she had a vision about Harry finding this room in a couple of months, but it would be a perfect place for them to do, um-" In a very un-Emmett like move, he looked around at the group of second years only a couple of meters away. "-stuff. But they wouldn't tell us, because apparently Harry has to find the room and one of us would end up telling him if Alice told us, if that makes sense."

"Emmett," I groaned. "Please."

"That's what _she_ said!" grinned Emmett.

"God save me," I muttered, covering my face with my hands.

"Okay, okay. You tell me to answer you questions and then when I do, you tell me off. Honestly, and you think I'm messed up… Alright, stop looking at me like that. What was it you wanted to tell me?"

I rolled my eyes, unable to be annoyed at him when he acted like this. It was irritating, sure, but at the same time it was rather funny.

It seemed to be an entirely different case for Edward.

"Emmett, this is rather important so if you can't be serious-"

"I can be serious!" said Emmett, wiping his face clean of all amusement. "What's going on?"

I lowered my voice to a level so quiet that even Emmett and Edward had to strain to hear.

"Did you see the article in the paper yesterday morning about Podmore?"

"Yeah," said Emmett, also speaking quietly.

"Sirius said he was caught breaking into the Department of Mysteries a little while back – that was the door he was trying to force open. They reckon a Death Eater – most likely Lucius Malfoy, thanks to some information from Arthur – knew that he was there on guard duty and imperiused him."

Emmett's eyes grew wide as he listened attentively.

"The Death Eater then had him try to break into the Department of Mysteries, so that he could retrieve the prophecy and give it to Voldemort."

"That's not good," muttered Emmett.

"No, it really isn't," I said.

"Luckily though, Ministry Officials caught up with Podmore before he even managed to get through the first door, so Voldemort didn't even get close," said Edward.

"Luckily?" I asked.

"You know it's best that he doesn't even get close to what he wants," said Edward.

"Yeah, I know, it's just sad that Podmore is in Azkaban now and it really wasn't his fault. He was a good man…"

"Yes, he was," sighed Edward, "But they all know the risks of guard duty, and they all do it willingly. Every person in the order would willingly give their lives if it meant that they could end this war once and for all – even if they only played a tiny part. They all want to help."

"I know," I sighed.

"So, is that it?" asked Emmett.

"No," said Edward, somewhat darkly.

"Uh oh," said Emmett, studying our faces. "This doesn't seem all that great either."

"He knows something," I whispered.

"Who knows what?"

"Voldemort knows that Dumbledore has done something for the protection of the school. He doesn't know what yet, but he knows that something is going on."

I know that if Emmett had any blood left in his veins, it would have all just rushed out of his face.

"It's us, isn't it," he said. "He has learnt about us."

"Not yet," said Edward. "He only knows that _something_ is in the castle, but he doesn't know if it is people, a monster or merely a new concoction of spells. For all he knows, the new security might be some form of magical surveillance camera. But just the fact that he's aware that something is going on…"

"How do you know this?"

"Order spies," I said. "Sirius told us to pass the message along to the rest of our family, and that Snape would get it to Dumbledore."

"Why couldn't Snape or Dumbledore have told us? Or McGonagall?" asked Emmett. "Why did it have to be Sirius?"

"We can't draw any more attention to ourselves by going to the headmaster's office and talking to our least favourite teacher all the time, especially with Umbridge here on the case," said Edward. "We are going to have to be extra careful. We are all ready in the spotlight, what with being from America – it is not often that Hogwarts get's students coming in after the first year – we are already something new in the castle. We _can not_ look like anything other than a group of average students from the states, or maybe Voldemort will realise that _we_ are the new security system."

"Man Edward, you know how to make us feel special. Security system, indeed…" muttered Emmett. I could see that he was taking this seriously though – we all were.

This was very serious.

What Edward had told Emmett was slightly different from what Sirius had told us, but it was still very true. We couldn't draw attention to ourselves – we had to go even more low profile than we were before.

"I'll tell the others," said Em, nodding.

"Thanks," I said. "I'd better start heading to class – I've got divination, and I'll probably be late if I don't move soon."

"We will be late if we don't move in the next two minutes, because otherwise we won't make it past the third floor before Peeves begins to throw a pile of walking sticks and causes a human traffic jam," said Alice, dancing over from the Ravenclaw table.

"Ha, divination with the psychic," said Emmett, laughing. "That sounds like fun."

"You bet," said Alice, grinning.

"Alice…" warned Edward. "I know you heard what we were talking about earlier-

"Yeah, yeah," said Alice, "I won't do anything like that again. Besides, Umbridge is going to be in or next class, so-"

"What?" I asked.

"She's inspecting Trelawney," said Alice, frowning. "It's going to go badly, though. I wish there was some way I could help her. She is a complete old fraud, but…"

"It's alright Alice," I said. I'm sure it will work out in the end."

"I hope you are right," she sighed. "There are so many decisions being made at the moment that I hardly get a glimpse of a vision before it changes."

She must have noticed Edward's, Emmet's and my horrified expressions, because she quickly rectified the statement.

"Not because someone is blocking me," she said. "It's completely different from that. This is pure indecision. But not even that. It's not just one person with lots of decisions – it is lots of people deciding at the same time. There are just so many people involved at the moment."

"So you can't see the future?" I asked, warily.

"I can," she said, "I see the small things, like what Ron is wearing to tomorrow, or the prank that the twins are playing on Lee Jordon next week. What I _can't_ see is the big picture."

"Okay, I get it," I said, "You can see things that are affected by one person, even more than just one, but the main part of the future at the moment is being dictated by loads of people – Dumbledore, Voldemort and Harry, for example."

"Yeah, and not only that, but they don't know the choices they will make. They will act in the moment, but you still can't see it because they will still make a conscious decision, even if it is only last second," added Edward.

"Exactly," said Alice.

"Hey Alice…" said Emmett.

"Yeah?"

"Didn't you say two minutes?"

"Oh yeah… Damn it, Bella, we're going to be late! So much for a low profile…"

xXx

We did end up being late to divination, but luckily for us Umbridge was also held up by the storm of raging walking sticks and Trelawney was too nervous to even notice us when we came in.

We slipped into the two empty chairs at Harry and Ron's table, causing Harry to look at us in annoyance and Ron in curiosity – Just before Umbridge entered the room.

Umbridge was just as bad as Alice had predicted. She wandered the class, asking questions – to which she got a mostly positive response towards Trelawney, as the class was full of Gryffindor and Ravenclaw students – and followed Trelawney around as she taught the class.

Harry was still studiously ignoring us, but he wasn't focused on his work either – he was intently watching Umbridge as she made her way around the room, seemingly unaware that the dream ideas he was throwing at Ron were completely ridiculous and would likely get him in more trouble than less if Trelawney heard them.

"So Bella," said Alice, catching my attention. "What have you been dreaming about?"

"Nope," I said, "I went last time. It's your turn."

"Well, if you want to hear all about the _dreams _I have had about Jasper recently, I don't really mind spilling," she said with a smirk.

"Fine," I muttered.

"Now then, we'll start with last night. What did you dream?"

"I dreamt that a notorious criminal came into our common room," I said, rolling my eyes, causing Harry and Ron to look at me sharply.

"Really?" asked Alice, flicking through her book. "Which criminal?"

"Just a really infamous one," I said with a shrug. "You know how dreams fade…"

"Yeah, okay," said Alice. "So, we have to add you age, the date you had the dream and the number of letters in the subject. This is ridiculous, who ever came up with the idea that this could predict future events?"

"Just get on with it Alice," I muttered, trying not to laugh along with the two boys.

Yeah Harry, you can try to hide it, but I know you're enjoying this.

"Right. How old are you again, Bella?"

"Don't you know?" I asked, playfully.

"Well, if we are being accurate, we should add the number of days you've been alive. Years is just too vague. Or maybe minutes would work better."

"I think divination is a pretty vague magic anyway," sniggered Ron, finally giving up the silent charade.

"True," I said. "And besides, Alice, if you did days, would you have to count the date as how old I am now or how old I was when I had the dream?"

"I see your point, but this is still ridiculous," she huffed. Then she flicked another page. "And how to we add the date? Do we add the day and month and the year together, or do we take how many days it had been since the beginning of the year plus the year, or just the days, or just the year?"

"Just do whatever Alice," I said, sighing. "I don't think it really matters."

"Yeah, like this is going to work, anyway."

"So, how are you going on Harry's dream, Ron?" I asked.

"So far, it means that harry will be extremely happy soon, but that it will end badly," said Ron with a laugh.

"Not bad," I said with a shrug. "I mean, that does seem okay – drowning Snape would be fun, but you'd probably get a detention or something afterwards."

"Possibly more than a detention," muttered Harry, still staring at Umbridge, while Ron snorted.

"Okay," said Alice, "So, fifteen – you are fifteen, right Bella?"

"Yes Alice," I said, rolling my eyes, "I thought you knew that."

"Well, fifteen plus – oh, I can't be bothered adding it – approximately two hundred and fifty plus – c-r-i-m-i-n-a-l – eight equals two hundred and seventy three… then we have to divide it by the secondary subject… c-o-m-m-o-n r-o-o-m… ten… Hey Bella, what are we supposed to do if we end up with a decimal number?"

"No idea, Alice, you're the one that came out with all that psychic stuff before," I said.

"I guess I could round the number?" asked Alice.

"Yeah, or you could just pick something half way between each prediction."

"Right…" said Alice.

"Harry, what's your favourite colour?" asked Ron.

"Does it matter?"

"Yeah, the book says I need to know."

"Then why didn't Alice ask Bella?"

"There was no point," said Alice, shrugging. "Her favourite colour changes all the time, so I just wrote down green."

I rolled my eyes as Alice winked at me, remembering how much I hated green when I was a human – well, I didn't mind it so much after I actually started to like Forks, but whatever.

"Fine," said Harry, "Just put red or something, I don't mind."

"Okay, now the prediction changed – your going to be sad and then confused."

"Brilliant."

"Bella, I'm done!"

"Okay, shoot."

"It's rather terrible – terrible as in a bad prediction not a terrible future. Although-"

"Just get to the point, Alice," I said.

"Fine. So, You are going to be a third dead while being a third happy while having a two thirds of an important destiny while there is two third of an important person in your life with a third of a chance of feeding you something poisonous. Also, you are going to be a third successful while two thirds living in the slums."

"Right…" I said. "What is with all the thirds?"

"well, the final number was 27.3, and then I had to-"

"Okay, okay," I said.

"It's not like it has an inkling of truth to it anyway," muttered Alice.

"Hey, listen," said Harry, gesturing to the doorway where Umbridge stood with Trelawney.

"Will you please predict something for me?" asked Umbridge, looking at Trelawney smugly.

"It will be windy tomorrow," whispered Alice. "It's not that hard, Professor, come on; it will be windy tomorrow, it will be windy tomorrow, it will be windy tomorrow."

Harry and Ron shot her a look, but then turned back to the scene.

"The Inner Eye does not see on command!"

"That's an even better answer! You go girl!"

"Alice," I hissed.

"Sorry."

"I see," said Umbridge, writing something down.

"I-I-But wait!"

"No, don't," I muttered. "Stick to your original answer, it makes it more believable."

"It's too late now," said Alice, sighing.

"What do you mean?" I asked.

"She had made up her mind when she heard how long Trelawney had been here," said Alice, to quietly for Ron and Harry to hear. "She is obviously on Dumbledore's side – if the were sides in the first place – and Umbridge made the decision to fire her then. Trelawney denying her now only made the future certain."

"So she's trying to get rid of any teachers close to Dumbledore?" I said with horror. I she got rid or McGonagall… or even Snape…

"No," said Alice, seeming to read my mind. "She will only get rid of the ones she thinks will not be too badly missed. For example, she will not get rid of McGonagall because she knows she could never get a good enough reason that would overcome how good a teacher she is. Everyone that had gone through this school in the last four decade knows her and how good she is! She could hardly just get rid of her! Same with Snape, Flitwick, Sprout, Pomfrey, Hooch and several other staff."

"Do you think Esme will be alright?" I asked. "We only just moved here, after all."

Alice frowned and her face went blank. Her frown deepened, and I remembered what she had said earlier about being unable to see the big picture. But when she came back to herself, she smiled.

"Esme will be fine, so will Carlisle. Umbridge believes that because they are new, she'll be able to get them on her side."

"She won't have much luck with that," I said, laughing.

"No, she won't." Then Alice looked back over to the two Professors. "She is right though."

"Who? Umbridge?" I said in horror.

"No, Trelawney. There is something dark heading towards Umbridge, though I don't know what. I think it has something to do with Hermione though…"

"Really?" I asked.

"Yeah, it's pretty firm. Then there is something even bigger further on, but I can't see it…"

"Do you think this will pass?" I asked. Alice knew exactly what I meant – she needed no more explanation.

"I don't know, Bella. I just don't know."

We had to stop talking after that, as Trelawney came to our table in a foul mood, told Ron that his prediction was completely incorrect and informed Harry that he was going to die a horrible and grisly death, which was clearly indicated by the way he had dreamed about eating porridge before a Quidditch match. Apparently, if he had dreamt of eating cornflakes he would have won the Quidditch cup, but I think that was just Trelawney feeling a little down.

xXx

Defence against the Dark Arts was a nightmare. An absolute horror.

Maybe I should just stop hoping. Maybe then I won't feel so bad when things like this happen.

Just like the week before, it started with Hermione's hand waving in the air. Umbridge had told us all to read chapter two, and I would have known without asking that Hermione had already finished it. I had too – I had wanted to know what it was Umbridge was doing in her classes.

It seemed like she was trying to bore the students to death so they would hate the subject and never bother to learn how to defend themselves.

Well, that's just what I thought.

Umbridge pretended not to notice Hermione's hand, but as the whole class was staring at her it was starting to get a little ridiculous.

"What is she doing?" I asked Edward.

"Who? Umbridge?"

"No, that's obvious," I said. "What is Hermione doing?"

"She's going to question the course again," said Edward. "She read the whole book just as you did, and she sees the problems. Only her mind was not going down the road of death by boredom. It was more like learning the wrong things, and those that were correct were useless."

"Right…"

"She actually has a really good idea, you know."

"Really?" I asked. "What? Will she manage to make Umbridge see sense?"

"No, I don't think that's possible. Hopefully she'll make Harry see sense though."

"What do you mean?"

"No, I'm not going to tell you. You'll just have to wait and find out."

"Does it have something to do with Umbridge though?"

"Kind of, but you won't hear of it in this class. Of that I'm sure."

"That's not fair," I pouted.

"Life's not fair," said Edward.

I had a witty comeback, I really did, but Umbridge decided to chose that moment to finally notice Hermione's waving hand.

"Yes, Miss Granger?" She called.

"Professor, I have already told you that I finished reading the book."

"Well then, you can read it again."

"But Professor, I've already read it twice. You see, I read it the first time over the holidays, and then the second time last week in class- "

Umbridge seemed thrown for a moment, but she recovered immediately.

"In that case, I would like you to complete a full set of notes on every chapter while the rest of the class catches up."

"What on earth is the point in that?" asked Jacob from his seat next to the scared looking Hufflepuff.

"I don't know," said Emmett, "But I'm sure as hell not going to tell Umbridge that I've finished the book as well."

"Yeah, I still don't know why you bothered," muttered Jake.

"I told you," said Emmett, "I was hoping that there was something in there that would let me finally win a fight against Edward or Jazz, but _no_…"

"It is completely pointless though," I said.

"What is she going to make us do after reading and notes?" asked Emmett.

"Answer every single question in the back of the book," answered Edward.

We all groaned.

Hermione's hand was in the air again.

"What now, Miss Granger?"

"Professor, is there not something else that I could read now that I have finished this book? Another, maybe? Surely you have more in curriculum than just reading a textbook-"

"As I told you last week Miss Granger, you are in no position ton question my teaching methods."

"Bella, you need to calm Harry down," said Edward suddenly.

"How?" I asked. "Why must it be me?"

"He clearly did not listen to Hermione last week…"

"Well, he isn't going to be listening to me now. I made some headway with Ron in divination, but Harry-"

"Bella, please," said Edward.

I sighed, and glanced over at Harry.

"Harry," I hissed, and then again when he ignored me. "Harry!"

"What?" he growled - rather impressively for a human too, if I might add.

"You have to calm down."

"Why should I calm down?"

"Do you want to slice your hand open again?"

I saw his eyes narrow.

"Come on, Harry, please, think about it."

"What's the point?"

"Your hand," I said again.

"I've had worse."

"That's no reason to give yourself pain, even if it is only a little bit."

"Look-"

"Do you want to miss Quidditch again, Harry? Ron is actually right, she really could kick you off the team, no matter how good you are."

"Why do you even care?" he hissed.

I looked away, hurt.

I felt rather than saw Edward tense up on the other side of me, and I knew that he would probably be trying his hardest not to glare at Harry.

Emmett had almost broken his desk and Jake let a small growl pass through his teeth, causing that poor Hufflepuff girl to edge even further away from him.

Harry's words had caught Hermione's attention, and she was looking at him worriedly. But Harry took no notice. He was staring at me intently.

Sighing, I looked back up to him and spoke in a tone that was quieter and less forceful than before.

"You're my friend, Harry. You may not like me, but I like to consider you as a friend. You're a good person, and I don't want you to get hurt for no reason. Hell, I don't want you to get hurt at all. So _please_ try to keep your temper."

Harry just stared at me for a few seconds, then he nodded. I sighed with relief, and went back to my book.

Unfortunately, I was a little slow.

"Mr Potter! Why are you not reading your book?"

"Sorry professor, I got distracted."

I could see his hands shaking, but thankfully he held on. I gave him a small smile, which he returned. However, it didn't last long.

"Five points from Gryffindor. Now keep reading please."

"Five points? For What?"

"No Jake!" I hissed. It was nice that he was defending Harry considering the fact that he was growling at him, but I would rather he didn't. I opened my mouth again to tell him to shut up, but it was too late.

"Excuse me, Mr. Black?"

"Why are you taking points off him? So he was gazing out the window instead of reading – maybe he was contemplating one of Slinkhard's statements!"

"I highly doubt it Mr. Black. And ten points from Hufflepuff."

"Honestly, Professor, if you had any sense of decency-"

"Now you've done it," muttered Edward.

"-then you would have let him off with a warning for not concentrating!"

"How dare you! And besides, Mr. Potter has already used up his warning-"

"Oh yeah? Well maybe you have too!"

Emmett swore.

"Detention, Mr. Black," said Umbridge. "Tonight, my office, seven o'clock."

"Uh oh," I whispered. "What will she do when the quill doesn't seem to be able to make a lasting mark?"

"I don't know," said Edward. "But at least it was Jake, not one of us, or even Nessie. The quill would not cut our skin."

"That's a good point," sighed Emmett. "However, it means I will not be able to cause any trouble at all…"

"Em! Low profile!" I hissed.

"Yeah, 'cause that didn't go down the drain five minutes ago," he muttered back.

"Why did Umbridge only punish Harry?" I asked Edward, ignoring Emmett. "I was not concentrating either."

"She still likes you," said Edward, "Even after she caught us the other day. She hates us guys, sure, and she doesn't like Alice because she is too happy and pointed out the issues with the course aims in the other fifth year defence class, but she likes you, Rose and Ness."

"So she's showing favoritism?"

"Of course," said Edward, "Also, she wasn't about to punish you when it would look so much better if she was purely punishing Harry, now would it? Of course, Jake just made that fly out of the window – the one good thing about his interruption – but it doesn't mean she hates you any more for it."

"Even though Jake is a part of our family?"

"Technically, she sees us all as adopted, not real siblings. Although she does see you as Emmett's sister, obviously, although he hasn't done anything drastic as of yet, so…"

"That makes sense," I said.

"But from what I've seen she doesn't really stick all of one family in the same bag. For example, she isn't to fond of Parvati, but sees Padma, her twin in Ravenclaw, as a good enough student."

I nodded, and watched Umbridge as she flipped through a few pieces of parchment on her desk.

The rest of the lesson went smoothly, and no one else caused a scene, thank god. However, Jake was grumpy by the end of it and stomped off the moment it was over to go and find Nessie.

We said a quick goodbye to Emmett then headed back up to the dorms to deposit our bags.

"So," I said as I met Edward back in the common room. "What was this big idea Hermione had, anyway?"

"Harry's in a bad mood."

"So? What does that have to do with anything?"

"She's going to ask him when he feels a little a better, for the best results. And anyway, she wants to talk to Ron about it first."

"Fair enough," I sighed.

I sat down on the sofa, closed my eyes and let the event so f the day wash over me. Today had been rather huge, what with Sirius' warning, Alice's problems, Jacob's detention and Umbridge's reign of horror.

I could hardly believe that the toad held a position in Hogwarts. Not only that, but she was now Hogwarts High Inquisitor!

However, the most pressing matter seemed to be what Sirius had told us. Voldemort was aware that Dumbledore had put extra security in Hogwarts… what did that mean? How much did he know exactly? And was it just him, or did the Ministry have an idea as well?

I shuddered, and was extremely glad when I felt Edward's arm snake around my waist.

"Bella?"

I was not so glad when it wasn't Edward's voice that spoke to me.

I sighed and opened my eyes, looking up at Harry. Well, he was alright, I guess. It was better than speaking with many other people that I could mention.

Hermione and Ron were standing off the side a bit, seemingly engaged in conversation, but they kept glancing over to us.

Well, alright then.

"Hi, Harry."

"Are you… are you feeling okay?" He asked.

"Yeah, I'm fine," I sighed.

"You sure? You look a little… down."

"Just worried about some things," I said, with a small smile. "But it isn't important."

Harry didn't look convinced, but let it go.

"Alright, well, I just came over here to say… I'm sorry."

He paused for a moment, looking at the ground. I just stayed quiet and let him continue.

"I'm sorry I reacted that way when I found out that you knew about – well, you know. It's not your fault that you couldn't tell me, and I had no right to ignore you all that time. And I'm also sorry for yelling at you earlier."

"Well, technically you were whispering," I said, still smiling.

"The intent was there," he said, waving a hand in a casual gesture. "But I really am sorry, Bella. And that…"

"Spit it out, Harry."

"Well, Hermione was right. You guys had your reasons, and it's only fair that you didn't tell us. I mean, you didn't even know us. And Bella – I do want to be your friend, if you'll still let me. You too, Edward."

He said this last bit really quietly, and if I were human I probably wouldn't have heard it.

"It's alright, Harry," I said. "I understand, and I forgive you."

"And of course you can be our friend," added Edward, smiling at him. "Why the need to ask?"

After that, everything went smoothly with the trio for the rest of the night. Harry seemed to be relieved the whole time, and it was nice to just be able to chat.

For once, Hermione didn't mention Homework and we all spent the time just talking. It got my worries out of my mind for a bit, for which I was very grateful. I was actually very surprised that Harry had forgiven us so soon. I would have thought it'd take him a long time – at least a week. Apparently not.

We talked about small things, such as Umbridge and work, but we also talked about larger things – for example our involvement with the order.

At one stage, Ron asked us if Rosalie and Jasper were involved as well.

"Of course," replied Edward. "Why wouldn't they be?"

"They're in Slytherin," said Ron.

I laughed.

"Yeah, they were a bit put out by that. But not all Slytherins are evil – there are just enough trolls in there to give the rest of them a bad name. I mean, think about it – the qualities are people that are cunning, ambitious, maybe a bit vain and likes getting their own way. In no way does that make a person evil."

"Yeah, I guess," sighed Ron.

"Besides, this shouldn't surprise you – you know Slytherins are not automatically excluded, because Snape is in the Order."

"That's not the best comparison though," said Harry.

"No, it isn't, I suppose. But there are plenty of other good Slytherins. Like Andromeda, for example."

"Who?"

"Never mind," I sighed.

"I think what Bella is trying to say is never judge a books by it's cover," said Edward.

"Not exactly," I said, making a face, "But it's close enough."

Not long after that, the two boys went to bed, leaving Edward and I with Hermione.

Edward stared at Hermione for a few seconds before grinning and standing up, kissing my forehead.

"I'm going to go to bed as well, I think. Good night, Bella."

"Night Edward," I said, though I sounded a little confused.

He grinned at me, then went up the stairs.

What on Earth was that about?

"Um, Bella?"

I turned to see Hermione looking at me nervously, yet determinately.

"Yeah?"

"Can I talk to you for a moment?"

"Of course," I said.

"Well, I've been thinking…"

Oh. My. God.

Those four words sent my vampire mind into overdrive.

What had she been thinking about? Had she found out what we were? Had she told the boys?

No, that didn't seem right. If she had, then Harry probably wouldn't have forgiven me.

Was she trying to confirm her suspicions?

Likely.

But Remus had thought she wouldn't confront us unless she was forced to…

But Hermione could have learnt from last time, couldn't she?

Possible.

But unlikely.

So what did she want to talk about?

If it was about what we were, then Edward wouldn't have left. Wouldn't he? It would be better if he were here… he was a better liar than I was…

Only a second had passed. Hermione was still talking so I forced myself to focus.

"… about Umbridge."

Okay, I admit. I was _not_ expecting that one.

"What about her?"

"We have to do something."

I grinned at her, my previous nervousness gone.

"You're right. How about flying carnivorous beetles?"

Hermione stared at me for a second.

"Sorry. Emmett's a bad influence."

"Right… But I meant something more along the lines of her teaching methods."

"But you've already tried that, haven't you?"

"Yes, but I mean a more indirect approach. I think we should just completely ignore her classes, and pretend to be good. While in the meantime, we are doing just what she doesn't want us to do."

"I like what you're getting at here," I said, starting to smile. "Where are you going with this?"

"Well you see, I had an idea…"

* * *

><p><strong>Please tell me what you think!<strong>


	12. Inquisiting Inspections

**So, here's the next one. It isn't my best, but it'll do. I'm not so happy with the end of the chapter though, but oh well. I'll try and get the next one soon, though no promises, because life's a little busy at the moment - I know, I've said that like a hundred times. Sorry. Last year of school. **

**I hope you enjoy it! At least I think the middle is okay. :D**

**Disclaimer: I Don't own Harry Potter or Twilight. I know, so sad. **

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 12<strong>

Inquisiting Inspections

"Oh, _Please_ tell me Harry didn't get another detention! Please!"

I turned around to face the girl who had grabbed my arm with a raised eyebrow, ignoring the sweet scent brought on by the close proximity.

I knew who she was immediately – it was hard not to recognise her beautiful black hair that she had done up in braids. However, I figured it wouldn't exactly be 'normal' for the new girl to know students from other years on sight, so I decided to act like her face was new to me.

"I'm sorry, but who are you exactly?"

There, that didn't sound conspicuous, right?

"Sorry, I'm Angelina Johnson, Captain of the Gryffindor Quidditch team."

"Oh, of course," I said, smiling at her. "I'm Bella Swan."

"I know," she said, waving a hand, "And sorry for being rude, but I was just hoping you could tell me whether Harry's gotten another detention, because if he misses practice I am going to curse him so bad that-"

"You take Quidditch really seriously, don't you?" I asked.

"Well, yeah," said Angelina, looking slightly insulted. "Why wouldn't I?"

I shrugged.

"Anyway, Harry missed tryouts because he had detention, and I mean, come on, surely he can keep his temper for long enough-"

"Do you think Harry wants to be in detention or something?" I asked, "Because the way you put it, it sounds like is going out of his was to miss practice-"

"Which he isn't, I can assure you," added Hermione from beside me.

"-just so that he can go to detention, which I am sure he enjoys _very_ much."

"That's not what I meant," huffed Angelina. "But I don't see why he can't just calm down and keep his temper."

"Yeah, I know exactly what you mean," said Hermione, sighing. "But you don't have to worry. Harry managed to stay out of detention yesterday, with a little help." She winked at me.

"Oh thank Merlin," sighed Angelina. "Well, I guess I'll see you around Hermione, Bella."

Then she strode off. I stared after her, slightly confused. That hadn't been much of a conversation.

"Don't worry about her," said Hermione, "She's really nice, it's just that when she gets into captain mode she takes nothing more seriously than Quidditch."

"I understand," I said, laughing. "You should see certain members of our family when we play baseball."

"Yes, you said that before," said Hermione thoughtfully. "Maybe I'll have to play baseball with you guys some time, just to see what all the talk is about."

Um, no. Sorry Hermione, but I don't think you'll be able to keep up.

"Maybe."

Maybe you could watch… sometime in the not so very far future when you figure us out.

By his time, we had entered the Great Hall and made our way to the Gryffindor table. The boys were already there, as they had gone on ahead while Hermione and I stayed back in our dorm talking for a bit.

Last night, Hermione had told me her idea. Edward had been right; it was really good – brilliant, in fact – and I was helping her get it just right. We had to think of a way to get Harry to agree – which, if I knew Harry at all, was going to be incredibly hard to do.

Anyway, making plans caused us to be a little later than usual – and being accosted by Angelina on the way down to the Hall made us a lot later than usual – meaning that everyone else was already there.

I was quite glad about that – it meant I didn't have to eat as much food.

"Morning," I said, sliding in next to Edward.

"Good morning to you to," he said, kissing my cheek. Then he held up a plate, causing me to groan. "You want eggs?"

I was about to protest, but then he glanced at Hermione. I sighed in annoyance as I understood. No need to go without breakfast again and give Hermione yet another reason to wonder what we are.

However, I still ignored Edward's offer of eggs and stole a piece of sausage from his plate instead. No need for the both of us to eat a plate each, right?

"Hey!" he exclaimed, clearly pretending to be the annoyed, hungry boyfriend. I shrugged.

"If you want more, you can always grab some from right in front of you," I said, stealing some more.

I had to fight a grimace as the lump of meat slid down my throat, but I couldn't stop the shiver.

Ugh, disgusting.

Oh well. I guess it's all a part of my life now, and if I have to eat horrid clumps of grease to have this life… well, let's say I wouldn't trade it for the world.

Not that I wouldn't mind not eating food, but, you know.

"So, how come you guys took so long?" asked Ron between mouthfuls. Ew.

"Oh, we were just talking," I said.

"And we ran into Angelina, Harry," said Hermione, "She isn't very happy at the moment."

"Although she is glad you kept your temper yesterday," I said, giving him a look.

"Angelina is never happy when Quidditch is in the equation," muttered Harry.

"Well, not unless you add in a couple of wins," said Ron, "But even then there is always that constant push to do better."

"Isn't that a good thing though?" asked Edward.

"Well, yeah, but it does get a little tiring," said Ron.

"No, I reckon Edward's right. If she didn't push us so hard we wouldn't be as good," said Harry.

"Yeah, those of you who are good in the first place," muttered Ron.

"Hey," I said softly. "I'm sure you'll do great in the upcoming match."

"Yeah right," sighed Ron. "I'm terrible."

"No you're not," said Harry, "You just need a little… practice."

"Harry and Bella are right, Ron, I'm sure you'll do brilliantly," said Hermione. Ron didn't say anything to that. His kippers suddenly seemed _very_ interesting… but the tips of his ears seemed to be a little redder than they were before.

Hmm…

We had charms first up (after a rather horrible tip to the bathroom, that is…) and that went basically the same as it had the other times; Ron and Harry struggled with the spell while we chatted with Hermione, Alice and Ness.

Alice informed us that we would be needed to use the scent – blocking spell again in transfiguration. Apparently we were doing something with mice.

Ness seemed quite taken with Hermione – they chatted for while during class, and that in itself proved how much they were getting along; I mean, this is Hermione we are talking about, and we were in class at the time.

However, our good moods were damped the moment we walked into the transfiguration classroom and a certain scent hit our noses.

"Brilliant," groaned Nessie. "Just what we needed."

"No, Renesmee, this is going to be great!" exclaimed Ron.

"Have you lost your mind?" asked Alice. "You do know what Ness was talking about, right?"

"Of course!" said Ron happily.

I exchanged a glance with Harry. It seemed like he agreed with us on the question of Ron's sanity.

"Don't you understand?" he said, practically wailing.

I shrugged, and looked at Edward. He seemed like he was trying not to laugh. But When Alice erupted into giggles, Edward seemed unable to hold it in, and also began laughing.

"This is going to be fantastic," squealed Alice.

"Yes! Someone sees it my way!" exclaimed Ron.

"What?" asked Harry, exasperated.

"Let's see Umbridge get what she deserves."

Understanding flowed through all of us – except Edward and Alice, who had at least managed to calm down – and we all moved to take our seats.

Umbridge eyed us – especially Harry – with distaste as we walked in, before she set her sights back on the clipboard resting on her knee.

Once everyone had filed in, McGonagall began the lesson, not even acknowledging Umbridge in the slightest.

"Right, Mr. Finnigan, if you could please come to the front to collect everyone's homework and hand it back to them; Miss Brown, take this box of mice and hand one out to each person – oh don't be ridiculous, a hover charm is not necessary, they wont hurt you-"

"Hem, hem."

"Do reckon she thinks she sounds cool when she does that?" giggled Nessie.

"Probably," muttered Ron, staring at McGonagall excitedly.

McGonagall pretended that she hadn't heard.

"Everyone listen closely – Dean Thomas, if you do that to your mouse again I shall put you in detention – most of you have successfully managed to vanish your snails and those of you who have been left with a bit of shell seem to have the gist of the spell. Today we will be moving on to mice, as their body structures are much more complex making them-"

"Hem, hem."

"Yes?" asked McGonagall, _somewhat_ politely, turning towards Umbridge.

"I was just wondering if you had received my note informing you of the date and time of my-"

"Obviously I received it, or I would have asked you what you were doing in my classroom," said McGonagall curtly, before turning her back on Umbridge and facing the class.

Nessie was covering her face with her hands as she was trying so hard not to laugh. Although, I have to admit, I was having the same problem.

"This is even better than when I saw it!" giggled Alice, practically bouncing on her seat, causing Hermione to give her an odd look.

"I know, it's better than I imagined it too!" said Ron, grinning.

"But how can she lecture me about losing my temper with Umbridge?" asked Harry, somewhat put out. "She's even worse than I am!"

"Yes, but the difference is McGonagall is channeling her anger in a way that can't be turned against her – Umbridge really is interrupting the class," pointed out Edward.

"Be quiet, you lot," hissed Hermione. "I was actually hoping to listen to this class, even if Umbridge keeps interrupting."

"Oh, shut up Hermione," said Ron, "You know as well as I do that you can already vanish a mouse."

Hermione blushed, causing me to look away. It was ridiculous. I should be used to it by now! I know it's easier but still…

"Now, as I was saying, today we shall be practicing the more complicated vanishing of mice. Now, as you know, the Vanishing spell requires you to-"

"Hem, hem."

"I wonder," said McGonagall, rounding on Umbridge, her nostrils flaring, "how you expect to gain an idea of my usual teaching methods when you keep interrupting me? You see, I don't usually allow a person to speak when I am talking."

Umbridge looked like she had been slapped in the face, and for that I let out a little internal cheer. McGonagall was definitely the best teacher I had ever had.

"As I was saying: the Vanishing Spell becomes more difficult with the complexity of the animal to be Vanished. The snail, as an invertebrate, does not present much of a challenge; the mouse, as a mammal, offers a much greater one. This is not, therefore, magic you can accomplish with your mind on your dinner. So - you know the incantation, let me see what you can do. I don't want idle chit-chat – focus. Off you go."

"She's awesome!" said Nessie, pulling out her wand and pointing it at her mouse. "_Evanesco_!"

The whiskers on the mouse disappeared, but it didn't seem to notice. Nessie frowned, and pointed her wand again, this time saying the incantation with more force.

"_Evanesco!_"

This time, the tail disappeared, and it certainly did notice, as it began running around in circles, squealing.

"Very good, Miss Masen," said McGonagall, walking over. "You're catching on very quickly." Then she turned to me. "Let's see how you're going, Miss Swan."

I sighed, and pointed my wand at the mouse. It stared at me. Poor thing, I wondered what would happen to it. Would it die? Or would it just pop out of existence? Or would I appear somewhere else? I didn't know.

Pushing all other thoughts out of my head, I focused on making the mouse disappear.

"_Evanesco!_"

And disappear it did.

"Well done Miss Swan," said McGonagall. She was smiling, but I could tell it was a little forced. She was thinking that I should be more careful – I didn't need Edward's gift to be able to tell that. Well, sorry. It's not my fault that all our spells seem to be stronger... though I guess I might have been a little too focused.

"Ooh, look professor!" squealed Alice. "I've given it a haircut!"

We all glanced over to see that Alice had somehow managed to vanish parts of the mouse's fur, and it was now looking remarkably like one of those fancy poodles.

"Very good, Miss Brandon," said McGonagall. "However, next time concentrate a little harder and you may vanish the entire mouse."

"Of course, Professor!" chirped Alice, "I'll do better next time!"

I wasn't sure what she meant – a better job of vanishing, or a better looking haircut.

"How did you do that, Bella?" asked Ron, who was yet to make any visible change to his mouse at all.

"Just concentrate," I said, shrugging.

"Yeah, like this," said Hermione. "_Evanesco!_"

"That is so unfair," huffed Ron, glaring at the spot where Hermione's mouse had been a second before.

"Don't worry, Ron," said Nessie, "You're not the only one who can't do it. Look! _Evanesco!_"

This time, an ear vanished, causing the mouse to squeal a little louder and Nessie to huff in frustration.

"Maybe if I just keep at it I'll keep vanishing little bits until the whole thing is gone," she muttered.

"Hey, at least you make a bit of it disappear," said Harry. "_Evanesco! Evanesco! Evanesco!_ Oh, come on!"

Nessie giggled at his outburst, causing Harry to smile.

"Oh look!" exclaimed Ness pointing to Harry's mouse.

"What?"

"A bit of it's fur has disappeared!"

"No it hasn't," said Harry, frowning down at the mouse. "It looks exactly the same."

Actually, that wasn't true. The fur on the mouse was definitely thinner, but a human wouldn't have noticed it.

Luckily, Alice noticed Hermione's frown – or maybe she saw something – either way, she interjected.

"Harry, if Nessie says it's fur is thinner, then it is. You see, she has experience grooming animals – dogs, really – and so knows rather a lot about fur."

"That's true," I said, as Edward started to chuckle.

"Right…" said Harry, dubiously. "_Evanesco!_"

This time, the fur disappeared completely, leaving a naked mouse on the desk and causing Harry jump in surprise.

"Argh!" said Ron. "This is ridiculous! Everyone else can disappear stuff!" He turned to Edward. "_Please_ tell me you can't do it either!"

Edward chuckled, and pointed his wand at his mouse.

"_Evanesco._"

He must have not tried – or maybe he focused on a certain thing, like Alice had – but pretty soon there was a tailless, legless mouse rolling around on the desk.

"Urgh," said Ron, moving away slightly as the mouse can towards him, it's eyes rolling.

Edward quickly vanished the rest of it.

"Hem, hem."

"Oh great," muttered Ron, thankfully quiet enough that no human could hear. We all looked up to see Umbridge standing near us, clipboard in hand.

"Would you mind if I asked you a few questions?" she asked in what she must have thought was a sweet voice.

"Of course not," said Nessie, in an _actual_ sweet (and yet still clearly fake) tone. "Why not?"

Umbridge looked at Ron.

"How do you enjoy this class?"

"It's great," said Ron. "We get to learn stuff but we get to actually _practice_ it, if you know what I mean…"

I had to stifle a giggle. Good old Ron.

"Right…" said Umbridge, writing something down. Next she turned to Alice.

"How much do you think you learn? Is it useful?"

"We learn loads, and of course it is!" said Alice, playing up the role of an overenthusiastic Ravenclaw only too well. "Transfiguration is a very important subject of course, as I'm sure you know, Professor, and Professor McGonagall is absolutely amazing at teaching. She knows just how to do it, you know? She knows what the students need to stay interested, and what pace to teach, and just how to deliver it, you know?"

Umbridge just stared at her for a second, then recovered and wrote on her board. Then she spoke to Edward and I.

"What do you two think about Professor McGonagall as a teacher?"

"Basically what Alice said," said Edward, and I nodded vigorously in agreement.

"And what do you think of the assignments?"

"They're brilliant," said Nessie. When Umbridge raised an eyebrow, she edited slightly, clearly thinking that her answer was a little unbelievable. Then again, it kind of was. What student said their homework assignments were 'brilliant'? "I mean, they always prepare us well for the exams and are never to easy or too hard. They are also never ridiculous, they always have a point."

She stared hard at Umbridge as she said the last part.

"I see…"

With a final note on her board, Umbridge walked over to Lavender Brown and began questioning her. I didn't fail to notice that Umbridge didn't even look at Harry or Hermione during the exchange.

"Well, that was interesting," said Hermione.

"You can say that again," muttered Edward.

"Well, at least she can't chuck McGonagall out after all those things we said about her," said Ron, once again trying – and failing – to vanish his mouse.

"She couldn't do that anyway," said Nessie fervently, "Everyone loves her. And this. Is. Ridiculous!" She tried vanishing her mouse, but only managed to remove the other ear and three toes. "Argh!"

"Calm down, Ness," said Alice. "You'll get it by the end of the lesson."

Thankfully, this did calm her down, as she knew Alice would be telling the truth.

Four of us – Alice, Edward, Hermione and I – had managed to vanish our mice by now, and Harry's and Nessie's were looking a little bit more than worse for wear. Ron though, hadn't even made a dent.

"Yeah," said Harry, pretending Nessie hadn't had a little outburst. "Besides, I'm sure everyone else is saying just as nice things about her."

"Oh, they are," said Nessie, pointing at her mouse _again_. "But Dean Thomas just complained that we get to much homework."

Hermione gave her another weird look. Great.

"How do you know that, Nessie?" I asked her.

She looked up at me, confused.

"Hermione," I whispered at her, too quiet for humans to hear. Comprehension flitted across her face.

"Oh, I can tell. Look at his face!"

We all looked over to Dean to see that he did indeed seem to be complaining about something.

Hermione still looked suspicious. And I thought she was warming up to us… especially after she heard our 'secret' about the order. Oh well…

"Alright! Look at that!" exclaimed Ron. We all glanced over to see what he had done. "That mouse had at least another whisker on the left side!"

Actually, it hadn't, but I wasn't going to be the one to burst his bubble.

"Keep trying Ron," said Harry, "Maybe you'll get the whole mouse next time."

"Yeah, that's easy for you to say. You've already gotten rid of the fur, the whiskers _and_ the tail."

"Yes Harry, your mouse is looking a little sad," said Alice. "You should put it out of it's misery."

"Shut up, Alice," said Nessie.

Alice rolled her eyes.

"Teenagers," she huffed. "Back in my day…"

"How old are you Alice," laughed Edward. "Seventy?"

"Eighty, thank you very much," she said, sticking her nose in the air.

"Oh my, Alice," I said, also laughing, "You should have said before. How on earth do you get up those stairs every night to the common room?"

"She has a young sister to help her!" said Nessie, grinning.

"Teenagers aren't that bad after all then, are they Alice?" asked Harry.

"Well…" said Alice, "Some are okay, I guess."

"Oh, I knew you loved me, Alice!" said Nessie.

"Hey, for all you know, I may have been talking about Luna! She's very nice to me!"

Nessie put on her signature pout – I swear, she was the only person in the world to out-pout Alice – causing Alice to laugh and give her a hug.

"Aw, come on Ness, you know I was joking!"

"Course Alice," said Nessie, "But now Emmett owes me twenty!"

"Twenty Galleons?" asked Ron, his eyes wide. "Why?"

"Not twenty Galleons," said Nessie, rolling her eyes. "Twenty favours. Twenty _big _favours, like letting me paint flowers on his jeep to 'hone my artistic talents.' I bet that I could get Alice to do something for me by pouting at her, and cause Alice was there and being stubborn, Emmett took me up."

"Why bet in favours?" asked Harry.

"It's better than losing money, isn't it?" asked Hermione.

"Actually, it's worse," said Edward, wincing. "I'd rather give Emmett a hundred thousand dollars any day than leave my piano in the forest –_ in the rain_ – for week as a _favour_ to him."

"Wouldn't it be cheaper to just buy a new piano?" asked Hermione meekly.

"Dollars?" asked Ron.

"American muggle money," I told him, then I answered Hermione. "And yes, it would be cheaper to buy a new one, but that isn't the point. He loves his piano, you know? It would be like saying – oh, I'm sorry your child just died. But don't worry – you can always make a new one!"

"No, not really," said Nessie, laughing. "He doesn't love his piano like a kid. I think."

Yeah, okay, that's true.

"Okay, okay," I said. "Wrong analogy. How about we pretend it's a dog instead?"

"No, not a dog," giggled Alice. "We all know what Edward is like around _dogs_. That is completely wrong."

"But I was talking about some-one else's dog!" I whined. "Not ours!"

This, of course, practically sent Nessie into hysterics. I loved the fact that she didn't mind us teasing Jake like this. She was like Rose in that respect. Me and Alice, on the other hand, were completely different. I mean, yeah, we teased our mates and laughed when others did the same, but we didn't, well, insult them. Kind of. Anyway…

"Still," said Alice, "I think you should make it a cat. You know Edward likes cats better than dogs."

"Only to eat though," I whispered, too quiet for the more pulse happy members of the group.

"Alright!" exclaimed Edward. "Enough humour at my expense. So I love my piano. What does it matter?"

His outburst only served to make the three of us laugh harder.

"Is everything alright over here?"

"Yes Professor McGonagall," said Edward, glaring at us. "My sisters just seem to have found something incredibly funny."

McGonagall allowed to gaze to move over Alice, Nessie and I, who had managed to stop laughing, Hermione, Ron and Harry, all three of which looked slightly confused, and then Edward, who looked rather calm if I do say so myself.

"Very well then, but I hope that you will continue to work silently for the rest of the lesson."

"Of course, professor," I said. "Only, Edward, Alice, Hermione and I have finished vanishing our mice and –"

"You may continue on to kittens," said McGonagall, pointing behind her desk at a large cage. "They are higher mammals than the mice and are therefore more complex, making them harder and more complicated to vanish."

"Ready to vanish a cat, Edward?" asked Alice, laughing.

"You are so annoying," he groaned.

"I know. I do try my best to fulfill the roles of sister, seeing as Nessie doesn't do a good enough job for you."

"Bella?"

"Yes Edward," I said, giggling at his pout.

"Can you make her stop?"

"Oooh, is the big, bad – er, Edward – looking for protection from his girlfriend?" asked Nessie, her eyes twinkling.

"I've changed my mind," said Alice. "Nessie, you make a wonderful, annoying sister for your brother!"

"Does that mean you can stop annoying me too?" I asked.

"Nope!" sung Alice. "Anyway, I'm off to get me a kitty cat. You coming?"

"Edward?" I asked, pouting.

"Sure, Bella," he said, chuckling. "Although, after you compared my piano to a _dog_… I mean, come on, Bella, I thought you loved my piano!"

"I do," I said, grinning. "But I love you too, and I tease you all the time. What's the difference?"

"Bella, did you just compare your boyfriend to a piano?" asked Hermione, somewhere halfway between shocked and amused.

"I might have done," I said, winking at her. The amused side seemed to win out and she began to laugh.

"Anyway, Mr. Masen," I said, poking Edward's arm, "I thought you were getting me a cat."

"My deepest apologies, Miss Swan," he said, giving a little bow before wandering of to the front of the class, a giggling Hermione trailing after him.

I turned back to see Ron staring at me open mouthed, and Harry staring after Hermione with a curious look on his face.

"What?" I asked.

"Oh, um, sorry," said Ron, looking away, his ears turning red. Nessie giggled as she watched him.

"What's wrong, Ron?" she asked. "Nargles get you, did they?"

"Great," groaned Harry, turning back to Ness. "You've been talking to Luna."

"Nessie, what is wrong with you?" groaned Alice, sitting back down and putting a scared looking kitten on the desk. "Those symptoms were those of wrackspurts, not nargles! How could you make such an error?"

"Are you kidding?" asked Nessie. "I swear those were Nargles."

"Nope. Wrackspurt."

"Nargle."

"Wrackspurt!"

"Can't you lot go for two minutes without getting into some sort of argument?" asked Edward, passing me a kitten. "Honestly…"

"Hey, you're just as bad!" I said.

"Am not!"

"Yes you are, _and_ you just proved my point!"

"Is your family always like this?" asked Ron, rubbing his forehead.

"No," I said. "Only most of the time… actually no, whenever Emmett's around, it's usually worse."

"Brilliant!" said Ron sarcastically, throwing his hands into the air and causing his mouse to go running. Ron said a less than polite word and seemed about to go crawling under desks after it when Hermione rolled her eyes and brought it back with a summoning charm.

"Thanks Hermione," he said, blushing again.

"No problem."

By now, Alice's and Edward's kittens were gone already, mine was missing a tail – I had decided to take it slower than last time – and Hermione's was almost translucent, which looked rather weird if you ask me.

Ghost cats. Strange.

"Look, guys!" exclaimed Ron.

Okay, this time he really did get rid of something. I would have been great if it hadn't been half the mouse's stomach.

Sorry, I know I am a vampire and all, but still. Ew.

The rest of the lesson went fairly smoothly – the only exciting things being when Nessie _finally_ completely vanished her mouse, just as Alice said she would – and we were all rather glad to get out of Umbridge's presence, even if it was rather amusing to watch her – for the lack of a better word – get owned by McGonagall. However, we were all severely disappointed when we walked into care of magical creatures to find that Umbridge was planning on inspecting this class as well.

It wasn't too bad though; she merely question Grubbly-Plank about the way she ran the class, and then questioned a couple of students, like before. She did try to get information out of Grubbly-Plank about Hagrid's whereabouts, but Grubbly-Plank was very good at getting out of it. Or maybe she didn't know. That did seem likely, as she wasn't a member of the Order.

Everything was going fine – that is, until Umbridge questioned Draco Malfoy.

"I have heard there were injuries in this class?"

"Yeah, that was me. I got slashed by a hippogriff."

"A hippogriff, you say?"

"Yeah, only because he was too stupid to listen to Hagrid's instructions!"

It seemed like every Gryffindor simultaneously groaned, while all the Slytherins exchanged looks of glee.

Umbridge promptly handed Harry another detention, and then Grubbly-Plank released the class.

"Honestly, Harry," started Hermione as we walked across the grounds to the greenhouses. "You really should-"

"I know, Hermione," snapped Harry. "I just can't help it."

During Herbology Edward received a mental message from Alice, who told him that Harry would be returning from his detention bleeding heavily from the hand.

That was easy – I just decided that I wouldn't be there when he returned.

"I don't think that's a good idea, Bella," said Edward.

"What isn't?" I was sure I hadn't said anything out loud.

"Alice is yelling at me. Apparently, Hermione and Ron need you to be there when Harry comes back."

"I guess I'll just have to bear it then," I sighed. "Now that I have a warning I won't be surprised like last time."

"Bella, you can't do that!" interrupted Jake, sticking his head around the large spiky plant we were working on. "I thought you said that it's painful, that it's like having a poker shoved down your throat!"

"It's alright," said Edward. "I have it under control."

"You have what under control?" asked Ron, wandering over from his, Harry's, Hermione's, Hannah's and Ernie's plant.

"Rosalie's Christmas present," I said.

"What?"

"Emmett was chucking a fuss because he needs to get Rose's Christmas present sorted."

"I was not!" exclaimed Emmett.

"Yes, you were," said Jake. "I don't know why though, I mean, you have a couple of months – more than a couple of months."

"Hey, these things take time!" said Emmett, playing his part perfectly. "And you know I have to have the best for my Rose. I bet Edward is already freaking out too!"

"If Edward knows what is good for him, he won't be getting me an expensive present," I said, as Edward rolled his eyes.

"Er, right," said Ron. "Look, I really came over here because Hermione was wondering if you guys had any mooncalf dung left. We've ran out – Professor Sprout said we're short at the moment."

"Sure," said Jake, handing Ron some of the stuff, nose crinkled. "Here you go."

"Thanks," said Ron. Then he went back over to the others

"You guys just love to pick on me at every spare moment you get, don't you?" grumbled Emmett.

"Like you don't do the same to us," I said.

"Oh whatever."

xXx

Ron and Hermione stayed up that night, waiting for Harry to come back from detention. Edward had wandered off, telling Hermione and Ron that he had to ask Emmett something, and promised profusely that he wouldn't get caught. I was amazed that Hermione had let him go, but I supposed she was too worried about Harry.

She had concocted a bowl of this foul stuff that she said was 'strained and pickled Murtlap tentacles'. I thought that sounded rather gross, but if it helped Harry I wasn't complaining.

I was rather worried about Jake, though, He had his detention with Harry tonight, and if Umbridge suspected something… well, I would just have to hope for the best.

Nothing happened for hours, so Hermione took the time to explain her idea to Ron, just as she had to me. He seemed to think that it was a brilliant idea, and thought that we should tell Harry tonight.

I wasn't sure that was such a good idea, as Harry was sure to be in a foul mood. Then Hermione said that maybe that would be a good thing, as he would be more annoyed at Umbridge and therefore more likely to sway to her idea.

I didn't think it was very likely, but they knew Harry better than I did, so…

It was around midnight that Harry showed up, with Edward right behind him. I heard him give the Fat Lady the password, and so I held my breath as he came in. What Edward was doing immediately became apparent – Harry's hand was tightly wrapped up, which had likely stopped the blood flow, at least partially. Edward must have 'bumped into' Harry on his way back to the common room, 'noticed' his bleeding hand and offered to wrap it up, most likely giving the excuse that I fainted at the sight of blood.

I allowed myself to take a small breath, and stiffened as the fire roared down my throat. I waited until I was accustomed to it, and then took another breath.

By then, Edward had sat next to me on the sofa and took my hand. That helped me significantly, and I smiled at him. Then I began to breathe evenly, and was surprised to find it manageable.

"Here, Harry," said Hermione, motioning to the bowl. "Place your hand in this – it will help."

He unwrapped his hand – shooting me a look of apology as he did so – and quickly submerged his hand. The relief on his face was as instant as it was obvious. Clearly, Hermione new her stuff.

But I didn't think Harry would be feeling that way for long…

"I still reckon you should complain about this," said Ron.

I sighed. It was no use – we had already tried that.

"No," said Harry.

"But if you just-"

"I said No, Ron. I don't want to bother anyone else with this."

"And what about when she starts handing out detentions to others?" asked Edward quietly. "You're not the only person in the school that gets detentions, you know."

"Then they can tell some-one if they wish," said Harry. "I don't want anyone else involved."

I decided to call on his bluff.

"Jake was there today, wasn't he? Maybe he'll tell someone."

"He wouldn't," snorted Harry. "I saw the look on his face. He's the same as me – he won't give Umbridge the satisfaction."

I sighed again – he was right about that one. Ron opened his mouth to retort, but stopped when he saw the look on Harry's face.

"She's awful," said Hermione. "She's a really awful person."

"You can say that again," I muttered.

"You know," said Hermione, looking closely at Harry, "Ron, Bella and were just talking… we've got to do something about her."

"I suggested carnivorous beetles," I said "And Ron suggested poison. But sadly, Hermione rebuked our ideas."

I shook my head in mock disbelief.

"I told you, I was talking about what a dreadful teacher she is, and how we're nt learning anything about defense."

"Yeah, and poison would cure that," said Ron.

"You know what I mean."

"I know. But what can we do about that?" asked Ron. "She's here, she's got the job. There's no way we're getting rid of her now, Fudge has made sure of that."

"What are you getting at, Hermione," asked Edward, pretending he had no idea.

"Well, I've been thinking…" she glanced at me, and I nodded in encouragement. "I've been thinking that we should just do it ourselves."

"What? Get rid of Umbridge?" said Harry. "I don't know about you, Hermione, but you see-"

"No, I don't mean that. I mean we should teach ourselves defense."

"Hermione," said Harry tiredly. His tone made him sound years older than he was. "We can't just learn things out of books. I mean, okay, it worked last year during the tournament. But this isn't just a controlled competition we're talking about. This is the real thing! We can't just look at a text book!"

"Well, I would be better than nothing," said Edward.

"That's true, but I don't have the time. I'm behind on homework already – and so is Ron – we can hardly hole up in small classroom and learn jinxes during the evenings-"

"This is much more important than homework Harry, you know that," said quietly.

"I agree," said Hermione. Harry and Ron looked at her like the world was about to end, but she ignored them. "Anyway, I didn't mean that Harry, because you're right. We need more than just books to learn how to defend ourselves. We need someone that has been out there and experienced it all. Because What Emmett said Defense last week was right: we can't learn the true _feeling_ of those situations through a book, no matter how good the author, We need a teacher – a teacher who knows what happens in the real world and has survived it!"

"If your talking about Lupin…" started Harry, but Hermione cut him off.

"No, I'm not. He's too busy with the Order, anyway."

"Then who?" Harry raised his eyebrows and turned to me. "Has your dad been in those situations? Is that why Dumbledore asked him to come and help?"

Hermione didn't allow me to answer. She was clearly getting herself worked up.

"I'm not talking about Healer Cullen either."

"Who then?"

"Isn't it obvious, Harry?" I said. "She's talking about you."

"Me?"

"Yes Harry," said Hermione. "You."

"But.. that's… come on, you've got to be joking…" he looked around and us. "You've been talking about it, haven't you?"

"Hermione suggested it to me last night," I said. "And she told Ron about an hour ago."

Harry turned to Edward.

"What about you, did you know?"

"No, this is the first time Hermione's mentioned it."

Well… that's technically not a lie…

"Can you tell them it's ridiculous? I'm not a teacher, I-"

"I think it's a good idea, actually," said Edward, looking at Harry appreciatively. "You are amazing when it comes to these sorts of things, and you're a natural leader. You would do great."

"But I- I've never-"

"Harry, you are the best in the year at Defense Against the Dark Arts," said Hermione. "The best in the school, probably."

"No, I'm not," said Harry. "You've beat me in every test-"

"But we're not talking about tests, Harry," said Ron exasperatedly. "We're talking about real life situations you said yourself that they aren't remotely the same thing! Think about what you've done!"

"Everything that I have ever done was either from luck or from other people's help, not skill."

"Well, most of surviving isn't skill," I said, looking at him hard. "Most of it is instinct."

"Yeah, and instinct is so easy to teach people," said Harry sarcastically.

"Harry," said Hermione, "Just think about it please?"

"I don't understand what there is to think about!"

"Harry, think of the good you could do," I said. "There are all these kids that have no idea of what is going on, and have no idea of how to defend themselves. How are they going to survive the moment Voldemort-"

"How many people are we even talking about here?" asked Harry, ignoring Ron's and Hermione's flinch. "I thought you just wanted me to teach the four of you!"

"No, that wouldn't be right, Harry," said Hermione, but the look on his face had her back pedalling. "Not many though, not many at all. Just our friends… you know, the Weasleys, some people from our year, maybe some from others – no Slytherins, though, obviously."

"Right…"

"You see, Harry, we just need some-one who can tell us what it's like-"

"You think I can explain it?" asked Harry, his voice suddenly deathly quiet. I felt Edward flinch from beside me, and I guessed Harry must be remembering something - or things – that were rather painful. "You think I can explain what it is like to be tortured? To watch your friends die? To be a second away from being murdered and not being able to do a single thing about it?"

Harry's voice had been gradually getting louder, until he was yelling in Hermione's face. She shrunk back, cringing against the couch, while Ron watched with wide eyes.

"Look at you, sitting there, asking me to _explain_ this to you! You don't know what it's like! You don't know that no words can even _begin_ to cover even a fraction of what it feels like!"

"You're right, Harry," said Hermione in a small voice. "We don't know. But we'd like to learn."

"Oh, you would, would you?" asked Harry with a short laugh. "Why don't you wander outside the grounds and run off to Voldemort then?"

"Harry," I said, "You know that's not what she-"

"What about you then Bella?" asked Harry, rounding on me. "would you like to be put in one those situations as well?"

"I know what that feels like, Harry," I said., unable to keep the crippling sadness fro my voice. "I know what it feels like to belief that you are a second away from death, and to watch some one you love get tortured."

Ron's eyes widened, and I heard Hermione gasp. But Harry's eyes narrowed in suspicion.

"Oh yeah? It seems to me like you have the perfect life with the perfect family. You told me that story about your Mum, but you even said that right now, you are as happy as-"

"Stop," growled Edward. I could tell from the rumble in his chest that he was trying very hard not to snarl at Harry.

Harry stared at Edward, apparently not intimidated by the furious look on his face.

"Harry," said Hermione, and he looked away from Edward. I thought he looked a little guilty already. "Harry, you know what you said isn't true, and it wasn't nice to speak to Bella like that. You don't know-"

"Oh, I don't, do I?"

"Harry, do you believe that I understand what you went through?" I asked.

"No."

"Then how would you know what has happened to me?"

Harry gaped at me for a moment.

"Look Harry," said Edward, barely controlling the anger in his voice. "I know that you have been through a lot, and I know that you are angry, but that doesn't excuse the tings you said to Bella."

"Edward, it's okay."

"No, it isn't.

I sighed, and rested my head on his shoulder, hoping to calm him down.

"Bella?" asked Ron hesitantly. "When did you… I mean… well… is there like… maybe…"

"Voldemort and he death eaters aren't the only ones in the world that like to cause pain, Ron," I said, shuddering as an image of Jane came into view. "I wasn't tortured myself, but…" I pressed my self against Edward. "Please, I don't want to think about it."

Hermione was frowning again, which I thought was odd. A second ago, she was looking sympathetic…

The look only lasted a second though, as did the silence.

"Look," said Hermione, turning back to Harry. "We aren't asking you to give us an answer straight away. Just think about it, okay?"

Harry nodded, and looked at me sympathetically.

The silence was extended this time, until Hermione sighed and stood up.

"Well, I'm off to bed. Coming Bella?"

"In a minute," I said. I knew I had to keep up the human charade, but there was no way I was leaving Edward's arms at that moment.

Ron left as well, but Harry stayed behind. He seemed to have calmed down somewhat.

"Er, Bella?"

I turned my head slightly so that I could see him, but kept it on Edward's shoulder. Harry took it as permission to continue.

"I'm sorry for… well…"

"I understand, Harry," I said.

"But-"

"You've had a bad day. I'm sure I would be even more irritable if I had to put up with Umbridge's detentions like you do."

"That doesn't matter. What I said was inexcusable."

"That's true," said Edward.

"No, it really wasn't," I said. "I've been much more horrible after days that were not quite so bad-"

"I wouldn't say that," muttered Edward, but I ignored him.

"-and you did just have Hermione's idea sprung on you suddenly. Harry, I mean it when I say it's fine and that I understand."

There was a pause, but then Harry started up again.

"Bella…"

"Don't," said Edward.

I looked at him quizzically.

"He want to know what you were talking about earlier."

"Oh." I said, closing my eyes.

"Sorry Bella, I didn't mean for you to have to remember it or-"

"Don't worry," I said. Then I opened my eyes, took my head from Edward's shoulder and raked my hands through my hair. "It makes me so angry, though!"

"Sorry," said Harry again.

"Hey, calm down," said Edward, wrapping his arms back around me. "It won't happen again. You've made sure of that."

I took a deep breath and nodded. He was right. I could protect all of them now.

"Sorry," I said. "Just being silly."

"Bella," sighed Edward.

I shook my head and stood up, stretching like a human would if they had been curled up against their boyfriend for an hour.

"I think I need to go to bed; I'll fall asleep in Divination in the morning otherwise, I'm sure."

"Alright, said Edward, standing up to peck my lips. "Night love."

"Good night." Then I added quietly, "I'll see you down here soon."

Edward nodded, and added;

"Wait a little, though – Harry wants to talk to me."

I nodded, curious as to what he wanted to talk about. Oh well, Edward would tell me later.

As I lay in my bed, I started thinking.

Hermione had been giving us quite a few strange looks recently – more so than usual. She had to be putting the pieces together. She couldn't be far off.

And whenever I aid something about my past… I know I shouldn't have mentioned when Jane was torturing Edward, but Harry was really… I just need to say something to help him calm down. Nit that it worked, but at least I tried.

But the way Hermione looked at me… she clearly believed me, I could see that much. It was more like it reminded her of something that didn't make sense.

Surely Edward would have noticed though, so there was nothing to worry about.

Unless he had been too distracted by the things Harry had been saying…

Either way, it didn't look brilliant.

I sighed, and sat up, putting my head in my hands. I seemed to be messing everything up. It was me that reacted to Harry's blood that day in Care of Magical Creatures. Me who told Hermione snippets of our past. Me who ate as little as possible while Edward studiously ploughed through every meal.

I could tell myself that they all just had more practice than me, but who am I kidding? If she finds out, it will be on me. No one else could take the blame from that.

"Bella, are you okay?"

I looked up to see Hermione leaning over towards my bed, her eyes squinting as she tried to see through the dark.

"Yeah, I'm fine," I sighed. "It's just… hard, you know?"

"I'm sorry, Bella," said Hermione.

"Oh please. I get enough of everyone else saying sorry, I don't need you to as well. It's no one else's fault."

"I don't know what you're talking about, Bella, but I'm sure it isn't."

I just sighed.

"We should get some sleep," I said, hoping to steer her away from the conversation.

"Yeah, okay," she sighed. "But Bella, just know that you can talk to me whenever you want okay?"

"Sure. And thanks, Hermione, I might take you up on that," I said, smiling. She was a truly nice person, if not just the slightest bit to curious.

"Goodnight, Bella. Sleep well."

"Good night, Hermione," I whispered.

As she fell asleep, I wished once again that I could hear what she was dreaming about.

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><p><strong>Please review! I love to hear what you think of the story!<strong>


	13. Half Dozen Broomsticks

**Hey there! Here's the next chapter, up as quick as I could what with everything going on! Thanks so much for all the reviews by the way, so nice to know you haven't all given up on me despite my horrible time intervals between updates! **

**Enjoy! This one is longer than anything I've written in a while.  
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**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (or any of the Harry Potter's for that matter) nor do I own Twilight. (Oh, and a bit of Dialogue came out of HP and the Order of the Phoenix again. That isn't mine either.)**

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><p><strong>Chapter 13<strong>

Half Dozen Broomsticks

The next day went by fairly slow. It was a little bit sad really, as it was Nessie's birthday, but we couldn't celebrate. Not really, as that would make her Older than Edward, which didn't stick with our story at all. We all got together during the night after Edward, Rose, Jasper and I had finished Astronomy to have our own little celebration, but it wasn't the same. It wasn't like we could do much.

Ness said she didn't mind, and Alice promised us all that we would make it up over the Christmas holidays. I was secretly pleased, though. My birthday was on the Friday, and I knew that being here meant that they couldn't buy me any extremely expensive presents.

Harry was rather quiet, and although it as clear that he was trying to appear normal, he wasn't fooling anyone. He still laughed, yes. He still talked, yes. But he was still somewhat… subdued. Whenever he thought no one was looking, he would stop smiling and simply stare at the floor.

However, it wasn't all bad.

As the week dragged on, he seemed to get a little more perky. I wondered if he was beginning to come around…

And according to Edward, he was.

At one point, Edward said he was even starting to plan lessons…

Friday came and went, and lucky for us it was our hunting night. Edward gave me the best present I could have asked for as he lay me on the forest floor after we had finished hunting.

Nessie had bought me a new book, and told me that I would find it interesting. She was right – it was downright hilarious. Clearly that Gilderoy Lockhart had no idea about vampires – the things he came up with were even more ridiculous than the things that Bam Stoker came up with! I mean, come on, who would run away from a spell that shot dandelions from the ends of a wand? Not anyone that I know. And according to _Voyages with Vampires_, the vampire was eating a pasty in a shop when Lockhart discovered him. I mean, come on! At least Stoker had us drinking blood…

Two weeks passed since Hermione brought up the subject of Harry teaching Defence Against the Dark Arts before it was breached again. It all started in the library, while we were studying for potions. Well, the three of them were studying potions. Edward and I didn't need to. We already knew that stuff, just because we had already read the text book.

"Tell me, why on earth are you reading that book, Bella?"

I glanced up from the pages of _Voyages with Vampires_, which, despite my memory I had decided to read a second time purely for a laugh, to see Ron looking at me like I was mad.

"What do you mean?" I asked, curiously.

"Why are you reading a book written by _Gilderoy Lockhart_?"

Ron said the name as if it were something disgusting.

Harry was staring at me now with the same expression as Ron, while Hermione looked like she was trying not to laugh.

"Because I can?" I said, making it sound like a question.

"Bella," said Ron in a tone one might use to explain something to a child, shaking his head, "Gilderoy Lockhart knows absolutely nothing. If you want to learn something about vampires, then read a book by a different author."

"But I don't want to learn about vampires!" I exclaimed.

"Then why read the book?" asked Ron, now thoroughly confused. "I mean, I don't see why you would read it in the first place, but…"

"What's so bad about Gilderoy Lockhart?" I asked. To be completely honest, just by the tone of the writing I could tell that Lockhart was a stuck up prig who needed to get his head out of the sky and face reality. However, I was interested to see why Ron and Harry seemed to hate him so much.

"Oh no," said Ron, holding up his hands. "_Please_ tell me you aren't a Lockhart fan girl."

"A Lockhart fan girl?" I asked, now confused. In my month at Hogwarts, I hadn't heard the name Gilderoy Lockhart once. The word 'fan girl' implied a guy who was extremely famous, and made me think of the screaming girls who were obsessed with people such as Zac Efron or Justin Bieber. I was never the type to scream about even the most famous of people. Well, I would be rather glad to meet Johnny Depp, but other than that I never really cared for meeting a celebrity. And here Ron was asking if I was a fan girl of some guy who I had never heard of before getting his book and who seemed rather stuck up?

As if.

I looked to my left to see Edward struggling not to laugh. On my right, Hermione was doing exactly the same.

"Why would you think I'm a fan girl?" I asked.

"You're reading his book!" exclaimed Ron. "Why else would you do that!"

"Well, I might want to learn about chasing vampires away with dandelions," I said.

Edward snorted.

"But you already said you didn't want to learn about vampires," Harry pointed out.

"So I did. What if I told you the book was a gift and I had to read it?"

"No one in their right mind would give a Lockhart book as a gift," said Ron. "I don't believe you."

I rolled my eyes.

"What if I said it was a _joke_?"

"If someone gave it to you as a joke you wouldn't be obligated to read it," said Harry.

"Oh, come on," I said. "This book is hilarious!"

Harry and Ron looked at me, looked at each other, then promptly burst out laughing, followed closely by Hermione while Edward shook his head in amusement.

"What? It is!"

"Bella, are you sure you weren't dropped on your head as a child?" asked Harry.

"Hey!"

"No really, are you sure you aren't just reading the book because you think he looks… nice?" asked Ron, struggling with he last word. He seemed almost unable to consider Lockhart looking nice.

I turned the book over and looked at the picture of the author on the back. He had wavy blond hair and blue eyes… sure, he looked _okay, _but no where near what I was used to seeing, and he was most certainly not my type. I could tell _that_ by the way he was winking and giving that 'I'm-better-than-you' look to the camera; the fact that my only type is the 'Edward' type not-with-standing.

I shrugged at Harry and Ron.

"He's okay, I guess, but I wouldn't say he's particularly attractive."

Harry and Ron gaped at me.

"What?"

"Bella, I think, that apart from the teachers and including my mother, you are the only member of the female species that doesn't consider Lockhart as good looking," said Ron, still gaping at me.

I raised an eyebrow.

"Boys. Look at what I have here," I said, gesturing to Edward, "And _then_ tell me if you think I could possibly consider Lockhart as attractive."

Harry and Ron blanched, while Hermione giggled and turned slightly pink.

"Oh, I see how it is," said Edward, looking at me playfully.

"Yeah, I'm only with you for your looks," I said, sighing. "Oh, and the money too. Yes, we mustn't forget the money."

Hermione let out one loud laugh, drawing the attention of the librarian.

"Wait, so you don't think Lockhart is attractive?" asked Ron.

"Look, I don't really see the point to this, so why don't you just tell me why you're so interested," I said.

"I'm not interested," said Ron. "I'm just curious is all."

"Yeah, sure," muttered Harry.

"Lockhart was our Defense against the Dark Arts teacher in our second year," said Hermione, rolling her eyes at the two boys.

"Really?" I asked. When Hermione nodded, I started to laugh. "Oh my god, I feel so sorry for you. Did you learn _anything_ that year?" I asked.

"Well, I learnt not to release '_freshly caught Cornish pixies_' into a classroom of twelve year olds," said Ron, saying the 'cornish pixie' bit in a high voice.

"Have you guys ever had a good Defense teacher?" I asked, groaning.

"Sure," said Harry. "Professor Lupin was brilliant. But I thought you knew that?"

"Yeah, I did," I said, "But you know what I mean…"

"Actually, second year and this year are really the only absolutely terrible ones. I mean, yeah, Quirrell turned out to have his little _problem_ and Moody was actually a death eater in disguise, but other than that their teaching was good enough."

"What?" asked Edward in fake surprise.

"Moody was a death eater?" I asked. I heard this before of course – but they didn't know that.

"No, it was just a death eater pretending to be Moody," said Hermione. Then she lowered her voice. "Moody is with the Order."

"Hermione," hissed Harry.

Hermione rolled her eyes.

"We're in a library for Pete's sake, no one was going to hear."

"Well, you've definitely been rather unlucky in the Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher department then, haven't you," I said, shaking my head.

"Yeah, speaking of that…" said Hermione, looking over to Harry. Ron quickly busied himself with his books, all talk of Lockhart forgotten now that there was a possibility of Harry blowing up again. "I was wondering if you'd thought more about Defence Against the Dark Arts, Harry."

"What do you…"

"About you teaching us."

There was a slight pause before…

"Yeah, I've thought about it."

"And?"

"I'm not sure," he said, looking at Ron.

Ron, realising that Harry was not going to start another heated discussion, was now a little more eager to join the conversation.

"I think it's a good idea," I said quietly. Harry looked at me. "I don't mean to be out of place or anything, Harry, but Hermione's right. People need to know how to defend themselves, now more than ever, and who better to teach than some-one who knows what it's like? You said it yourself Harry. They don't know. They need to learn, and I know you can't teach them that, but it's as close as they are going to get."

"She's right, mate," said Ron. "We're not going to have a chance against, well, anything if we sit here and say we can't learn."

"But I would be terrible teacher," said Harry.

"Be honest, mate, you couldn't be any worse than old toad face."

"Exactly," said Hermione.

"Nice to see you have so much faith in me," said Harry quietly.

"So you _are_ considering it?" asked Hermione, practically bouncing in her seat, looking remarkably like Alice.

"Maybe," he allowed.

"That's brilliant!" said Ron.

"Who would want to be taught by me though?" asked Harry. "I'm the nutter, remember?"

"Quite a few people actually," said Hermione. "You'd be surprised. You see-"

"Hey, I tell you what," said Edward. "Why don't you just get a couple of people together, people you trust, and see if they would like to be taught by you. Then you'll have your answer."

"That's a brilliant idea," said Hermione, clapping her hands together. "Right then, Harry, are you committed to this?"

"Er…"

"Harry."

"Yeah, I guess."

"You need to be sure Harry," said Edward. "If these people turn up and they want you to teach them, and you change your mind, you'll be seen as worse than just the 'nutter'."

"That's true," said Hermione. "Harry, are you sure you're sure?"

"Yes," said Harry, and this time he sounded determined. "I want to help."

"Brilliant!" said Hermione. "I'll start compiling a list of who is going to come-"

"And we need to decided where to meet, and when," said Edward, almost as excited as Hermione. I rolled my eyes at him.

"How about on the Hogsmeade weekend?" asked Ron.

"Good idea. The first one is the first weekend in October," said Hermione, pulling a fresh sheet of parchment from her bag. "Now, I think we should meet in the Hogs Head. It is almost empty most of the time so we won't be over heard-"

"Wouldn't it be better if we went somewhere that was louder? If it's quiet, we'll be more likely to be overheard. In a louder spot, there may be more people but they won't be able to hear," I said.

"She makes a good point," said Ron. However, I think he would just rather be n the more popular place, to be honest.

"But a large gathering of students in the Three Broomsticks would be suspicious," said Hermione.

"Not as suspicious as a large group of students in the Hogs Head," said Harry. Then he paused. "Wait, how many people are we talking about?"

Hermione ignored him.

"Even if we are heard, there will be no one from the school except for us in the Hogs Head. If someone outside the school were to hear us, it would just sound like we were organising a homework club," she insisted.

"In the Hogs Head?" asked Ron dubiously. "You know, that place isn't best known for it's studying qualities-"

"Hogs Head it is," said Hermione.

Edward and I exchanged a wary glance, but we knew there was no way we'd be able to talk her out of it.

Hopefully Edward would find a way to warn Hermione and the others if there was someone suspicious there…

"Okay, next we need to talk people," said Hermione. "Who shall we invite?"

"Fred and George," said Ron immediately. "And Neville. And Dean, though we shouldn't invite Seamus, because, you know…"

"Lavender, Parvati and Padma," said Hermione, quickly adding names to her parchment. "We shouldn't only include Gryffindors."

"In that case, what about Nessie, Alice, Emmett, Jake, Rose and Jasper?" I asked.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa," said Ron. "Slow down. We can't invite Slytherins!"

"Why not?" I asked. "Come on, at least Jazz!"

"Er, Bella," said Hermione, "You know I have nothing against Jasper, it's just that the others don't trust him."

"I-" started Harry, but Hermone cut him off.

"I mean people like Dean, Parvati and Neville. They might not want to come if there is a Slytherin there."

"She's right, love," sighed Edward. "After all, we can show Jasper and Rosalie how to do the spells they miss out on afterwards."

"Okay fine," I said, then thought of something. "So long as you invite Luna. Renesmee will never forgive me if Luna isn't on that list."

"Of course," said Hermione.

"And if we're adding Ravenclaws," I said, winking at Harry, "We can't forget Cho Chang."

Harry turned bright red and looked away, causing Hermione bit her lip in an effort not to laugh as she wrote down her name.

"What about Ginny?" asked Ron.

"Yes, we have to invite Ginny," said Edward. "As well as Ernie and Hannah from Hufflepuff. Emmett would like for them to be there."

"Only so he could tease them," I muttered.

Edward shrugged.

"Yeah, maybe, but I get the impression that he genuinely likes them. Well, Hannah at least. He might think Ernie is a little bit pompous."

Harry snorted, thankfully now back to his normal colour.

"Hey, what about Colin Creevy?" I asked, thinking of the little fourth year that seemed to worship the ground Harry walked on.

"_And_ his little brother Dennis," said Edward.

"Are you trying to kill me?" asked Harry, glaring at Edward and I.

"No. Whatever gave you that impression?" I asked.

"Anyone else?" asked Hermione.

"Zacharias Smith?" I said, trying not to laugh.

"Bella, are you insane?" asked Ron. "Hermione, if you write down his name I swear I'll-"

"Alright, alright," said Hermione, laughing and shaking her head.

"I was only joking Ron," I said, rolling my eyes.

"Yeah, whatever."

"So, Hogs Head this coming Hogsmeade weekend?" asked Harry with a sigh.

"Yep, that's right," said Hermione.

xXx

"Excuse me, Edward Masen?"

I groaned, causing Harry – who was standing behind me – to burst out laughing.

No need to mention that this had already happened several times in the past five minutes.

Edward rolled his eyes and turned to the third year girl who was looking up at him with confident eyes.

"Yes?"

"Would you go to Hogsmeade with me?"

"I'm sorry, I'm going with my family."

"Oh. Some other time then, maybe."

The girl walked off, swaying her hips as she went. Harry was still sniggering, so I glared at him.

"What?"

"One day Harry, you'll get a pretty little girlfriend and we'll see how much you like it when people ask _her_ out."

Harry turned bright red in embarrassment, and I would be willing to bet that his thoughts had turned to a certain Cho Chang.

"I still don't get why you don't just tell people you're together," said Hermione.

"Yeah, then people like her would just leave you guys alone," said Harry.

"Actually, I don't think that would stop Romilda Vane," said Hermione, gesturing in the direction that the third year – who I guess was this Romilda – had gone.

"It would stop most people though," said Harry.

"It wouldn't stop Rose from killing us," I muttered.

"No," said Edward. "Renesmee might stop her though."

"True. Or Emmett. He once said he was glad I wasn't dead…"

Edward rolled his eyes, while Harry laughed again, probably thinking it was a joke.

"Hey! Masen!"

I groaned again, while Harry was sent off into another round of snickering. Even Hermione let out a giggle.

"Kill me now," I muttered as a sixth year Ravenclaw came over.

"You're coming with me to Hogsmeade. I'll meet you in the entrance hall at 9am sharp. Don't be late."

"Excuse me?" asked Edward.

"You're with me for-"

"I'm sorry, but I will be going to Hogsmeade with my family. Thanks for _asking_, but I won't be going with you."

The girl let out a '_humph'_, and then stalked off.

"You too, huh?"

I turned around to see Emmett making his way over to us, a grin on his face. Behind him came calls of '_Swan! Hey, Swan!'_ and '_Emmett, please!_'

"This school is even worse than _Salem_," said Edward.

"What, even worse than Jessica Stanley?" I asked.

"She was just one persistent person," said Edward. "Here, they may not be persistent, but there are a lot more of them."

"That's true," said Emmett. "Though I don't know about persistent. That Romilda Vane asked me out two minutes ago. When I said no, she immediately turned around and asked Jasper. Then Jake. I mean, how much self-esteem does she think we have? None?"

"That's Romilda Vane for you," muttered Hermione.

"But she's only thirteen!" I exclaimed.

"So? People go out at the age of twelve. Sometimes younger," said Harry, shrugging his shoulders.

"Yeah Bells," said Emmett, winking at me. "Just because some of us don't get any action until – _ahem_ – they are all grown up, doesn't mean-"

"_Emmett_!" I hissed. "These people think we are only fifteen!"

"Oh yeah," he said. "Oops."

"You'll being saying more than just oops when-"

"Hello."

I quickly glanced around to see a shy looking girl smiling nervously up at Edward.

"Argh! Today is _not_ my day," I said, glaring at Emmett and Harry, who were sniggering.

The four of us _finally_ made it to the great hall for lunch, and sat down next to Ron, who was digging into his food with gusto, while Emmett headed over to the Hufflepuff table and was immediately swamped by girls.

"What took you guys so long?" Ron asked.

"Extremely annoying girls," I muttered, my agitation currently directed more at the slice of pie on my plate than the girls.

"What?" asked Ron, confused.

"Heaps of people kept asking Edward out," said Hermione, reaching for the chicken.

"Oh," said Ron, smiling at me. "Bet that was frustrating."

"You have no idea," I groaned, stabbing at the offending piece of food while Edward laughed beside me.

"By the way," said Hermione, "I've been talking to people. So far, I've got a definite yes from Fred and George, Ginny-"

She was interrupted by a very recognizable yell from outside the hall.

"How many times to I have to tell you people? I am _not_ interested in going to Hogsmeade with any of you! And if a single person asks me out _one more time_, you will all wish you had never been born!"

We turned to look at the doors just in time to see a very angry Rosalie storm through them, followed by three very rattled Slytherin seventh years and a smug looking Draco Malfoy.

"Good on her," I said.

"Um, hi Bella."

I sighed, and turned to see Lee Jordon.

"Hey Lee."

"I was just wondering if you would like to go with me to Hogsmeade?"

This could not be happening.

"Sorry Lee, I'm going with my family."

"Oh, alright then. See you round, Bella."

Edward let out a groan.

"Now you know what I feel like," I said, giving him a little shove.

"Bella, I have two words that would knock that argument clean out of the water."

"Oh yeah?" I challenged, raising an eyebrow.

"Mike Newton."

I huffed.

"Okay, fine. But you know, I still can't believe that you-"

"Yeah, yeah, I know," he said, rolling his eyes. "He was an immature boy that refused to listen when you rebuffed him over and over and you felt nothing for him. Doesn't mean that he didn't annoy me just by breathing."

This time, I rolled my eyes.

"Who was Mike Newton?" asked Harry curiously.

"A friend from our old school," I said.

"I wouldn't call him a friend," muttered Edward.

"Hey," I said, "He was a good friend, even you can't deny that. He was a much better friend than Jessica was."

"Yeah, but she was just as annoying," he pointed out.

"Doesn't mean he wasn't a good friend," I said. "It's true that he wasn't as good as Angela or Ben, but he was a thousand times better than Lauren-"

"Everyone was a thousand times better than Lauren!" exclaimed Edward.

"Aha!" I said triumphantly. "So Mike wasn't the worst person in the school!"

This, of course, caused Edward to start grumbling, while Hermione, Harry and Ron laughed.

"Well, it seems like you never have a dull moment," said Hermione.

"A dull moment?" I asked, pretending to be confused. "What is this 'dull moment' you speak of? I have never heard of such a thing!"

"Neither have I," said Harry, "Though I don't think that's a good thing."

"Oh, that's a lie," said Ron.

"What is?" asked Hermione.

"Harry, you think back to yesterdays History of Magic class, and _then_ tell me you have never had a dull moment."

"Oh okay," said Harry, "Whatever."

xXx

The rest of the time went rather quickly, and before we knew it, it was the morning of the Hogsmeade visit.

"Are you guys going to walk down with us?" asked Ron at breakfast.

"No," said Edward. This didn't surprise me – we had discussed this with Alice last night. "We are going to go down with our family – you know, just for the first time. We'll meet you in the Hogs Head in a hour."

How we were going to manage that, I wasn't sure. However, I think Alice's plan was that we wore heavy cloaks as we made our way there in order to keep the sun that was going to be out today away from our skin.

"Oh," said Hermione. "Alright then, that's okay. Your family are meeting us there too, aren't they?"

"Yeah," I said. "Well, Alice, Nessie, Jake, Emmett, Edward and I are. Rose and Jazz aren't coming – they agreed with your thoughts that a Slytherin would mess up the whole group dynamic."

We waved the three goodbye as they went out the entrance hall, and Edward and I laughed when we saw Filch sniffing Harry on his way out.

"What's so funny?" asked Emmett.

"Nothing," I said.

Only Alice, Emmett, Edward and I would be coming – Jake and Nessie had already left, as they weren't effected by sunlight like we were – though Nessie had worn a long top, jeans, a jacket and a scarf in hopes that no one would notice the way her skin glowed. Rose and Jazz weren;t coming at all, as they were not needed in the Hogs Head, and it was too risky to go out in the sun when they didn't have too. We just had to hope Malfoy and the other Slytherins wouldn't get up to something while Rose wasn't with them.

We all walked outside another door, being careful to stay in the shade, and kept walking along the wall until Edward was sure we were out of sight. Then, Alice handed us all thick black cloaks – I had been right about that one – and then we were off.

We didn't take the normal route, as we had taken all the trouble not to let Hogwarts students see us in the cloaks, and it would ruin the whole thing if they saw us now – they wouldn't know who we were of course, but the fact that we were coming from the direction of the castle was a give away to the fact that we were students. Instead, we ran around the side of the castle and then through the clump of trees until we reached the edge of the village – basically the same route we took to go hunting. We then went straight to the Hogs Head and due to our thick cloaks, the barman didn't look at us twice when we went through the door. He was clearly used to dark types.

There seemed to be quite a few dodgy folks in the bar – two people sitting in a corner in cloaks just as thick of ours, speaking in Yorkshire accents and smelling oddly like garlic; a man covered in bandages, sipping a firewhisky through a slit in the gauze near his mouth; an old witch near the fire place wearing a purple veil; and in an incredibly shady corner two hairy individuals wearing purple suits who were playing a game that looked suspiciously like 'go fish'.

The four of us sat in a far corner, and took of our cloaks, shoving them in a bag that Alice had placed an undetectable extension charm on. We wouldn't need them on the way out – Alice had assured us that as long as we went straight back to the castle, we would be fine.

We had been sitting there chatting for maybe a minute when Edward randomly burst out laughing. At first, I just thought it was something Emmett had been thinking of, or maybe one of Alice's visions, but I was wrong.

"What?" asked Emmett, annoyed that he had been interrupted.

"You see that witch over there," asked Edward, jerking his head towards a witch in a dark veil.

"Um, yeah?' I said. "What about her?"

"Well, she's not a _her..._"

"Oooh, a transvestite!" said Emmett, almost squealing. "I've never met one before! Can I go talk to her – um, him – I mean, you know - them? Please?"

"_He_ isn't a transvestite either," said Edward, shaking in laughter.

"Then who is it?" whined Emmett, clearly disappointed.

"Can't you tell?" asked Alice, grinning.

I took a deep breath, and realized she was right. That odor was not one you'd forget.

Emmett grinned, stood up and walked towards the 'witch'.

"Hey Dung," he said. "What are you doing here?"

"Shu' up!" Mundungus hissed from under his veil. "If the barman sees who I am, 'e'll kick me out!"

Mundungus Fletcher was a part of the Order. He wasn't a very respectable person, but he was useful. In short, he was the order's link to the magical version of the criminal underworld, where all the 'juicy gossip' was.

Dumbledore trusted him, but he didn't know much about us. He knew we were the spies in Hogwarts, but he didn't know what we were.

Despite that, it doesn't need saying that Emmett and Dung had hit off when they first met. He was the sort of person Emmett found hilarious.

Well, one sort. I was the other, apparently.

Needless to say that Edward didn't really like him.

"But what are you doing here?" Emmett asked.

"Nothin'," said Mundungus. "Jus' hangin'. You?"

I sincerely doubted he was 'just hanging', but whatever.

"Oh, a couple of kids are holding a secret meeting," said Emmett with a shrug, but not before making sure no one else was listening.

"Really?" asked Dung. "Mind if I lis'en in? Need something to get me back in Sirius' good books, and if there're coupla kids 'avin secret meetin's, you can bet it'll be 'Arry."

"Well, I guess that's true," sighed Emmett, shaking is head.

"So I'll stay?"

"Yeah, I see no problem with that. It would be easier for you to get word to Sirius about this than us. He – and the rest of the order for that matter will want to know. Just so long as you _don't tell anyone else._"

"'Course not. Who'd you take me for?"

"So, Dung," said Emmett casually, "Got any good business offers recently?"

I groaned, along with Alice and Edward. This was Emmett had seemed to love to most about Mudungus – his 'humorous' tales.

"Well, I did see a coupla' ol' broomsticks other day," said Dung, leaning towards Emmett conspiratorially.

"Uh oh," I muttered.

"Here we go," added Alice.

Edward merely groaned.

"Really?" asked Emmett excitedly. "What happened?"

"I was at 'eadquarters at the time, see, and you know 'ow Molly's like… I couldn' get out, 'cause she knew what I was up to, see, though I 'as no idea 'ow, but ol' Billy Horndyke tells me 'e got half dozen cleansweeps orf Janie Rudderskins for only coupla' galleons. So I thinks, _well_, Janie Rudderskins 'as quite a hoard, and if _Billy_ can get half dozen brooms orf 'er, surely I'll 'ave no trouble."

"Did you go for it?" asked Emmett.

"'Course!" said Dung. "Went righ' over to ol' Janie's and asked 'er if she 'ad a thing to sell!"

"What'd she say?"

"She said she 'ad half dozen broomsticks!"

"What?"

"See, turns out, she'd made heap 'o fake brooms, and were sellin' 'em to any ol' fool who asked. So I sees this righ' away, and I asks 'er if she were willin' ter sell me the 'ole lot – and I'm talking about five dozen, 'ere - for half price, including my silence, 'course."

"Of course," said Emmett, now completely engaged. I felt like banging my head on the table.

"So I bough' the brooms – counterfeit galleons, 'course – and then I goes to ol' Billy and shows him. _'E_ says 'e'll buy 'em orf me, so when 'e does, I takes the half dozen 'e got in the firs' place, and 'e didn't notice! So then, 'e's jus' abou' to ask whether Janie 'ad more when a Ministry official arrives and asks 'im where 'e got them brooms, so he says 'e got 'em orf Janie, so they arrest 'im for trafficin' false products and I takes those brooms back!"

"No!"

"So then, I goes up to-"

"Mundungus Fletcher!" the Barman, who had come to see what the havoc was about – Dung had been getting excited and had raised his voice – clearly recognized him, and was now – as Dung had put it – going to 'kick him out'.

"Uh oh," said Dung, standing up and backing away from the barman. "Look 'ere, Abs, I were just-"

"Enough!" roared the barman. "You were banned from here years ago, and you dare come back! Get out! Now!"

"Right-o, Abs, just one sec-"

The barman, loosing his patience, grabbed Dung by the scruff of his dress and dragged him to the door, then proceeded to throw him out of it. Then, he walked over to us. Well, Emmett specifically, who was still standing next to where Dung had been a minute ago.

"What were you doing, talking to that despicable piece of vermin?" asked the barman.

"I didn't know he was that bad, honest," said Emmett, holding up his hands.

"You're one of the new kids from the school, aren't you?" he asked, glancing at the rest of us.

"Yeah," said Emmett.

"Hmm…"

"I'm sorry for causing a stir sir, but I honestly-"

"I hope you pick who you talk to better next time," said the barman. "We can get a couple of dodgy folk down here from time to time."

"Of course, sir," said Emmett. "Sorry again."

"Hmm."

With that, the barman went back to cleaning his dirty glasses behind the counter, though it seemed like he was still watching us.

Nessie and Jake walked through the door about thirty seconds later, having left earlier than the other students to get here before them, but still having to walk human pace.

"Was that Mundungus Fletcher we just saw?" asked Nessie, looking at us curiously.

"Don't ask," said Alice with a chuckle.

It wasn't long after that that Harry, Ron and Hermione came in and ordered butterbeers. The barman watched them a little bit suspiciously, especially after they joined us.

"You guys are here early," said Ron, sitting down and taking a swig of his drink.

I had to fight not to wrinkle my nose. The stuff smelt almost as bad as Jacob did.

"Don't you guys want a drink?" asked Harry.

"I'm good," I said, still struggling not to move away from the humans. Jake smelt bad – real bad – but I was used to him. Those drinks on the other hand… ugh.

The other three declined as well, seeming to have the same problem as me. Jake, on the other hand, jumped up to buy one immediately, and Nessie asked him quietly if she could have one too, just to try.

"So Hermione," said Ron, taking a sip of his drink as Jake sat back down. "You never did tell us who was coming."

"No need," said Alice. "Here they come now."

The three humans turned to the door, then frowned when they didn't see anyone enter. Five seconds later, however, the door opened and in walked a couple of people.

"Bloody hell," muttered Ron. "Who invited Smith? Bella, Hermione, I thought you said you wouldn't. I swear if you-"

"Oh good, Luna came," interrupted Nessie. "She's great."

"And look Harry, Colin's here – _and _his little brother!" I exclaimed, winking at Harry, who shot me a playful glare.

"Plus the entire Gryffindor Quidditch team is here," commented Jake.

"And we only have one player here," added Emmett. "Hopefully that won't mean he'll miss practise. Be careful on that one, Harry."

"Into Quidditch already, guys?" I asked quietly.

"Hey," said Emmett in a normal tone, holding up his hands. "I'm competitive."

By now, Harry seemed a little overwhelmed by the amount of people that had just poured into the bar – as did the barman, who seemed to forget his residual rage at Dung as Fred ordered twenty-five butterbeers. His expression became even more incredulous when Edward offered to pay for all of them, and ended up paying about double what he should have and asked for no change.

In fact, pretty much everyone was incredulous at that, so I just pulled him back into his seat and hoped no one thought anything of it.

Oh well. That's Edward for you. Making sure he paid for everything.

"Um, hi," said Hermione once everyone was settled.

No one answered.

"So, er, you all know why you're here…"

"So let's get on with it," muttered Emmett. Luckily, no humans heard him.

"So, Harry had – I mean, I had the idea that we should get together and study some defence against the dark arts – and I mean really study it, because that rubbish Umbridge comes out with can hardly be considered Defence against the dark arts-"

"Hear, hear!" exclaimed a Ravenclaw boy, while Jake hissed;

"You can't really say she 'comes out with' stuff. She gives a book, for Christ's sake!"

Hermione seemed to gain a bit more confidence.

"Well, I thought it would be good if we took matters into our own hands."

"You just want to pass your OWLs though, I'll bet," said another Ravenclaw.

"Of course I do," said Hermione, taking it in her stride. "I would be an idiot if I didn't. But what I mean is that there is something much more important going on, and we need to know how to defend ourselves, because… because… Lord Voldemort is back."

I was rather impressed – I didn't expect her to come out with that.

Jake and Emmett began to clap, and Nessie cried _'hear, hear,'_ just as the Ravenclaw boy had before, but everyone else had a completely different reaction.

Many people gasped or flinched when they heard the name, but some were a little more exciting. The girl that had come in with Cho Chang had screeched and spilt butterbeer down her front – something that made us all chuckle. One of the Ravenclaws started twitching, Lavender, Parvati and a girl that had to be her twin began to shudder violently and Neville actually fell out of his chair.

"Oh, grow up," muttered Renesmee. "Honestly, it's just a name."

"So, that's the plan," said Hermione, seemingly oblivious to what was going on. "If you want to join us, we need to decide how – and where – we are going to-"

"Where is the proof that You-Know-Who has come back?" interrupted Zacharias Smith.

"Dumbledore believes it-" started Hermione, but Zacharias interrupted her again.

"You mean Dumbledore believes _him_."

"How is it any of your business what happened to Harry last July?" asked Alice, glaring at the boy.

"I think we should all have the right to know exactly what makes him say You-Know-Who has come back!"

"And I think that Harry should have the right to his privacy," retorted Alice.

"You know, this really isn't what the meeting was supposed to be about…" said Hermione, glancing between Smith, Alice and Harry.

"It's okay Hermione," said Harry softly. "And thanks Alice, but it isn't necessary."

He had a look of realisation in his eyes, and I got little bit worried. I hope he wasn't thinking…

"What makes me think You-Know-Who is back?" he repeated. I sighed. Yes, he was thinking just what I thought he was thinking. I didn't need to see Edward's incredulous look to know that. "I saw him. Dumbledore told the entire school what happened at the end of last year, and if you don't believe him, you won't believe me, and I'm not going to waste an entire afternoon trying to convince anyone otherwise – I've got better things to be doing."

The whole group went quiet – no, the whole bar went quiet. I knew this had been a bad idea. We should have gone somewhere either completely remote or very, very busy.

I lifted my shield as Zacharias and Harry kept arguing.

"Yes, I know," muttered Edward in response to my thoughts.

I wondered if there was anyone we needed to worry about.

"The man in the bandages is Willy Widdershins."

I had heard that name somewhere before.

"Yes, you have. Arthur Weasley was ranting about him one of the days he came over."

Oh yes, I remember now, something about getting off scot free on a charge of regurgitating toilets.

"That's right. He's planning on telling Umbridge about this meeting."

That wasn't good. I quickly started to try and think of ways we could sort this out.

"We can't do anything – Alice has sent hat if we try to stop him it turns out worse. Don't worry though. Hermione's plan still works without a hitch – it's the Quidditch teams that have to worry."

That confused me a little bit, but I figured either he would explain if it was important or I would find out later, so I let it be and dropped my shield, giggling softly at the pout that seemed to make it's way onto Edward's lips every time I stopped letting him hear my thoughts.

"Is it true that you can produce a Patronus?"

I looked up to see one of the Hufflepuff girls staring at Harry intently.

"I'm sorry, what?"

"A corporeal Patronus?"

Harry seemed a little bit bemused.

"Do you know Madame Bones by any chance?"

"She's my Auntie," said the girl, smiling. "I'm Susan Bones. She told me about your hearing. So – is it true? Can you really produce a stag patronus?"

"I, uh, yeah," said Harry, rubbing the back of his neck.

Woah.

I didn't know much about magic, but I had read enough of the books Sirius had given us to know that being able to produce a patronus was way past the standard level for a fifteen year old. Many accomplished wizards struggled with that spell!

"And did you really kill a Basilisk with that sword in Dumbledore's office?" asked a Ravenclaw. I made a mental note to learn the names of more people. This was getting annoying… "That's what one of the portraits told me when I was in there last year."

"Yes, he did!" piped up Ginny Weasley.

A Hufflepuff whistled, and there were several 'wow's going around the room.

"And in our first year, he saved that Philosophy Stone," said Neville, wonder in his eyes.

"Philosopher's," said Hermione, causing another round of gasps.

"And that's not to mention," added Cho, "All the amazing things he did last year, getting past dragons and mermaids and acromantula and sphinxes and stuff…"

Harry was rather pink by now, and I had to stifle a giggle, while exchanging a glance with Alice. These lessons could get rather amusing if they kept this up.

I knew what Harry would say next, but I could see the words were catching in his throat. I bet that had something to do with Cho… I hoped he would just stay silent and take the compliments for once in his life, but I guess modesty was a built in application for him now.

"Look," he said, and everyone fell silent at once, " I… I don't want to sound like I'm trying to be modest or anything, but… I had a lot of help with all that stuff…"

"Not with the dragon, you didn't," said Michael Corner at once. "That was a seriously cool bit of flying…"

"Yeah, well, that was just flying -" started Harry. I was about to interrupt him, and was a little put out when Susan Bones beat me to it.

"And nobody helped you get rid of those Dementors this summer!"

"No," said Harry, "no, okay, I know I did bits of it without help, but the point I'm trying to make is -"

"Are you just trying to weasel out of showing us any of this stuff?" said Zacharias. For once, I agreed with the guy.

Not that I was ever going to admit it.

"Here's an idea," said Ron loudly, before Harry could speak, "why don't you shut your mouth?"

Jake and Emmett exchanged gleeful looks.

Honestly…

"Right," said Hermione, clearly thinking this was a good time to continue. I couldn't agree more. "The next question is how often we do it. I don't think there'd be any point in doing it any less than once a week-"

"That's right," said Edward, nodding his head. "It wouldn't be beneficial otherwise."

"But we have to make sure it doesn't clash with Quidditch practice!" exclaimed Emmett, while Jake nodded in encouragement.

"But you two aren't even on the team!" said Zacharias.

"So?" said Jacob.

"Is it a crime to want our team to win the cup?" asked Emmett, raising an eyebrow and somehow managing to make the expression look dangerous.

"Um, no?"

"We can't having it messing with our practice either," said Angelina.

"Nor ours," said Cho.

I looked at her in surprise. She didn't seem like the type to be on a sporting team. Maybe that was why Harry liked her…

Then again, if that were the case, he'd be going after Angelina.

"I'm sure we'll find a night to suit everybody," said Hermione, rather impatiently. "Bu I just want to point out that this is rather important. We aren't just talking about a study group – we need to learn how to defend ourselves against _Voldemort's_ Death Eaters and-"

"Personally, I think this is really important – probably the most important thing we'll do all year, even with OWLs coming up!"

"Great," groaned Emmett quietly. "Mr. Pompous has decided to speak up."

"Hey," I scolded, "He's a nice boy."

"Well, that may be," said Emmett, "But he's also bloody annoying!"

"Leave him be," I said.

"Or what?"

"Or so help me I'll phone Seth and give him certain instructions involving your jeep and a spray can fill of pink paint!"

"You wouldn't."

"Oh, I would."

"Okay, you would… but he wouldn't!"

"Really? You really think Seth will side with you over me after what you did to him in June?"

"Aw, come on, it was just a little bit of pepper!"

"A whole half-kilo packet is _not_ just a little bit, Emmett! He almost died after just one sip of that soup, not to mention what it did to Esme! She thought she'd killed him!"

"Okay, okay. I'll be nice to _Ernie_."

"Thanks Emmett, that's all I ask."

I ignored the chuckles of my family – bar Nessie who was looking at me in a 'be quiet I'm trying to listen' sort of way – and tuned back in to the conversation to hear Luna going on about something or other.

"…gallop across the ground burning everything in front of-"

"They don't exist Neville," sighed Hermione.

"Yes they do!" snapped Luna.

I really should hang out with her more often.

We all laughed at Ginny's impersonation of Umbridge, and chuckled as everyone was a little bit shifty about signing the paper Hermione flourished about. We immediately signed our names directly below Ron's, and that seemed to get people to ease up a little.

Of course, we didn't sign as Cullens – I was Isabella Swan, Edward was a Masen, etc. I wondered if the names would be binding, and thought they might be for Edward, Alice and I. They kind of were our names after all. I wasn't sure about Ness, as she had been born Renesmee Cullen, but as Edward's name used to be Masen, I wasn't sure. Jake was a given, of course – he had signed his real name. Emmett, on the other hand, had signed as Emmett Swan, so his probably wasn't binding.

Or maybe the jinx Edward told me Hermione would be putting on there worked on who had written the name, rather than what the name was.

Hmm…

After that, everyone dispersed, and Alice immediately ushered us out the door with hardly a word to anyone, but not before Lee could yell:

"You sure you don't want to hang with us, Bella? I'm sure your family wouldn't mind!"

To which I replied:

"Nah, I'm fine thanks, Lee!"

"No problem, Bella! See you round!"

Well, at least he had a good sense of humour.

Jacob and Nessie decided to stay and explore the town for a bit – with Nessie keeping on her multiple layers, of course – while we were forced to scurry back to the castle at a brisk human pace.

When we got thee, however, we were met with a sheepish looking Rosalie and Jasper being towed across the entrance hall by Professor McGonagall, who had the scruff of their robes.

We watched curiously, trying to suppress laughter as they shot us helpless looks.

"…Absolutely unbelievable! Conducting 'science' experiments on a live animal and almost destroying a classroom! And when you are supposed to be doing a job no less! Why did you not go to Hogsmeade?"

It was actually quite amusing to see this old lady intimidate two vampires.

"Well, you see professor-" started Rose.

"And I don't want any excuses about your condition! I know for a _fact_ that your siblings went to the village, so I don't want-"

"But Professor, they're right _there!_" exclaimed Jasper, pointing at us.

Our amused expressions turned betrayed as we glared at Jasper.

"Why aren't you with Harry and the others?" demanded McGonagall.

"We-"

"I already said I want no excuses about condition. Mr. Black and Miss Masen are not here, so clearly _they _have no problem."

"But professor, they don't-" I tried, but it was no use.

"I want to know _why_ you are not doing what you were laced here to do! I understand that you came voluntarily. I understand that you may want some time to yourselves. But at least work a roster – Have someone there at all times! Am I right in assuming that Jacob and Renesmee are together and _not_ with Harry?"

"Well-"

"I thought so. I know you don't want to be with them all the time, but maybe if you-"

"It was sunny professor!" exclaimed Alice, _finally_ managing to break through.

"Excuse me?" she asked.

"It was sunny. You _know_ we can't go out in the sun," I said.

"Then why have Renesmee and Jacob gone outside?" she asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Professor, you know this," said Edward. "Nessie is only half, and Jacob is not at all."

McGonagall continued to look a us sternly.

"Well, alright," she said after a minute or two. "But next time, I expect Mr Black and Miss Masen to be near them at least."

"Of course," I said, just as Edward said;

"We should have thought of that."

"Yes, you should have."

"So… are we good now?" asked Jasper, looking like he wanted to slink away. I was surprised. I expected him to be stronger… but I had to admit, McGonagall was one scary lady.

"No," said McGonagall, her most scary face back on. "I am not finished dealing with you. Normally, I would give a weeks worth of detentions and take fifty points off each of you, but as you are technically not students…"

"Hey, that's not fair!" exclaimed Emmett. "Jake and I have lost points before!"

"Yes, Mr Swan, but only from people who did not know what you were," said McGonagall. Then she turned back to Rosalie and Jasper. "As such, I am not sure what the best way to punish you is…"

"Oh, I am sure I can help with that."

We all turned around to see Carlisle walking down the stairs, Esme on his tail.

"Carlisle!" exclaimed Jasper.

"Rosalie, Jasper. I am very disappointed in you," he said, looking at them sadly. "Professor Dumbledore expected us to come here and help out. He has been very gracious to us. And how do you repay him? By blowing up one of his classrooms!"

"We're very sorry," said Rose, Jazz nodding heartily behind her.

"I know," said Carlisle, his expression softening a little. Then he turned to McGonagall. "If it is fine with you, I would have them fix the damage they have done, and suspend one privilege from them."

"That sounds acceptable," said McGonagall. "However, I would advise that you ask them to clean the room with no magic and at human speed. You see, during detentions we do not normally allow magic, and we wouldn't want anyone to, ah, see something they shouldn't, would we?"

"You are absolutely right," said Carlisle. "Right then, Jasper, Rosalie, you will clean up the mess you have made and repair the classroom with no magic and at human speed. Jasper, you will be prohibited from reading anything during the holidays unless it is absolutely required for school work – although then you must have supervision from Esme or I – and Rosalie, no working on any form of mechanics – unless it is an emergency - _or_ shopping for the entire holidays. I know the Christmas holidays are still far, but that is when your punishments will take place. Deal?"

Rose and Jazz looked a little bit upset, but they seemed to think they deserved it.

It made me extremely curious as to what they did.

"Right then, we're off," said Carlisle, taking Esme's hand. She gave us all a hug, then they said their goodbyes and ran through the door.

McGonagall raised an eyebrow, obviously wondering how they could go out in the sun, but the rest of us took no notice. Alice would have warned them if they were going to be seen, and they would know to stick to the shadows.

"Is it safe to leave you lot now, or do you need a chaperone?" asked McGonagall. I couldn't tell if she was being serious or not.

"No, we're fine," said Edward. "Rose and Jazz aren't going to do anything else – you've taught them a lesson, I should think."

"Good," said McGonagall. "In that case, I am off to Hogsmeade. Have a nice day."

With that, she swept out of the hall.

"What do we do now?" asked Emmett, clearly already bored.

"Well, I am _not_ listening to Jasper ever again," huffed Rose. "honestly. You'd think he swapped personalities with Emmett for a while there."

"I'm sorry Rose," said Jasper sheepishly. "I thought it would work. It seemed better than your idea…"

"Well, we'll try my idea next time," said Rose.

I glanced at the others to see if they had any idea what they were talking about. Alice and Edward were both laughing. It seemed like Emmett and I were the only ones out of the know.

"Hey, what's going on? What did you do?" asked Emmett impatiently.

"Yeah, non mind readers here!" I said.

"You'll find out soon enough," said Rose with a smirk.

"That's not fair!" exclaimed Emmett. "There are only two of us that don't know!"

"Actually, Nessie and Jake don't know," said Jasper.

"Or Carlisle and Esme, but that's a given," added Rose.

"Still!" whined Emmett. "I want to know!"

"Just stop, Em," I sighed, resigning myself to being in the dark. "You know it will be better if we see whatever it is as a surprise."

"Hey Bella, why don't we make our own secret so they know what it feels like?"

"Yeah, have fun hiding that from Edward and Alice."

"You can hide it from Edward," said Emmett.

"And Alice?"

"Argh! This is so annoying!"

"Hey Em?" I said.

"Yeah?"

"Want to have a bet?"

"Sure. What on?"

"I bet you… three favors that you can't stay silent until this time tomorrow."

"Only three?"

"Why, you want to up the bet?" I challenged, urging him on. The others were having difficulty suppressing their laughter, and with the way Alice winked at me, I guessed I was going to win.

Well, I knew that anyway, but whatever.

"Five favors."

"Done."

I shook his hand, and Alice said:

"Bet starts now, Emmett! And don't try to cheat because if you make _any _sound at all Edward will know!"

Emmett raised his eyebrows, and looked at Edward.

"Yes, Emmett, any sound. She did say silent," said Edward in response to Emmett's mental question. Then he winced. "Bella, did you mean silent in all aspects?"

"Yeah," I said. "Here."

I reached out and covered Emmett with my shield, grinning as Emmett's eyebrows knitted together.

I knew from Edward that Emmett had never bothered to learn sign language – or semaphore for that matter – so he now had no means of communication other than charades.

He could, of course, write things down, but this could be hard while walking, and plus, when writing with a quill it made a scratching sound – which means he would lose the bet.

I could tell when Emmett realized that he was going to be forced to act things out, as he shot a glare at me.

"Hey Emmett," I said with a shrug. "It was your choice to take the bet. And besides, you can always call quits. You'll just have to give me five favors in return."

"Emmett rolled his eyes, then grabbed Rosalie's arm and began to drag her down the hall.

Clearly he wanted some much need alone time.

I know I hated it when he teased me about things like this, but _come on_, how was I supposed to resist?

"Hey Rose," I called down the corridor. "Just make sure he doesn't make any noises, yeah?"

I heard Rose's giggle as they rounded a corner, and we all burst out laughing as Emmett stuck his hand back around to flip us off.

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><p><strong>I apologize if I got Mundungus' dialect wrong. I tried to find something to tell me how to do it, but couldn't, so I did the best I could with what I had. Hope you all don't mind. <strong>

**Oh, and that last bit wasn't random. It did have a purpose. ;)  
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**And please review! Your feedback makes me happy - _and_ it makes the story better, so a plus all round, huh? :D**


	14. A Time of Troubles

**I know, I know, you're all ready to kill me - if there are any of you left that is. Okay, I admit, I may have been busy but I have been writing other stuff; I just didn't feel motivated enough. I did want to write it though. Suffice to say that this morning I decided that enough was enough, and sat down and wrote this. It took me all day.  
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**Anyway, as I said before, this will be finished. Eventually.  
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**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter nor Twilight. And again, some dialogue came straight from HP and Order of the Phoenix by JK Rowling. I do try to change as much as I can though, if only slightly. But I just don't see how I could make the story any better than it is. I'm just adding the Cullens in. :D  
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* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 14<strong>

A Time of Troubles

The rest of the weekend was absolutely ridiculous. Yeah, yeah, I know what you're thinking. How could anything be called ridiculous when I live with a bunch of vampires and a werewolf/shapeshifter and currently reside in a magical castle surrounded by a forest filled with unicorns and a lake filled with mermaids and a giant squid – a castle which also just happens to be the same place that the mighty Merlin went to school and learned magic. Wow, it actually does sound rather weird when you lay it out like that…

But anyway, Harry, Ron and Hermione spent the entire time outside studying. Now, this was great for them, as they were able to spend time outside of the castle and lounge in the warm, fresh air. For us, however, it was a little bit of a problem.

Damn sun. Why can't it just stay hidden?

When I voiced this thought aloud, I received several amused looks. A few years ago, you wouldn't have caught me saying that if my life depended on it. Well, okay, maybe then. But not often.

Most people were –understandably – a little suspicious as to why we stayed inside. The Hogwarts teachers that didn't know about us especially. I didn't quite understand that – why force students to go outside purely because it was sunny? Did they want to force sunburn on everyone?

Jasper said that he just hoped it was because they didn't get very many sunny days at Hogwarts and the teachers wanted the students to make the best of what they could.

Emmett said it was because he thought the teachers believed that the giant squid was more active on sunny days and they hoped it would eat the students, giving them less idiots to teach and less homework to mark.

I know who I hoped was right.

Jake spent the weekend outside as well, taunting us. Ness stayed inside though, just in case – she may not sparkle, but she does almost glow, and we thought that with minds like Hermione's around the place it would be better not to risk it.

So we stayed inside, using the excuse that we couldn't study outside because we just weren't used to it.

There were many up sides to the weekend though – Emmett being one of them.

There are not very many times that I manage to get one over Emmett – but this time was one of the best. He couldn't make any noise at all – not when he was trying to communicate, not when he was 'eating', not even when he was walking – I told him to be completely silent, so even the sound of his footsteps would make him loose the bet.

Of course, it is very easy for a vampire to walk silently – but he couldn't let anyone else know that. So, he took to tiptoeing around in his socks.

One of the funniest things about the bet, however, was that he couldn't get into his common room on his own. Like the other three houses, the Hufflepuff common room required a password to enter – as Emmett had so wonderfully demonstrated to us that night he tried to get through the Fat Lady, to enter the Hufflepuff common room you must tap out the rhythm of Helga Hufflepuff. But this made a noise, and so Emmett was forced to always wait for another person let him into his dormitory.

Jake, knowing this, passed the word around to the other Hufflepuffs that they weren't to help him get in. Many of them were sympathetic to his plight, but not to Emmett himself – apparently, Emmett had 'subtly' taken a leaf out of Fred and George's book, except he only ever pranked in his own common room because he still couldn't figure out how to get into the others and he didn't want to draw attention to himself in the main school. So, naturally, the kind hearted Hufflepuffs were very ready to get one over the guy who transformed their room into Slytherin colours, made their fire cold and used sticking charms on their pillows.

So, that night, Emmett found himself 'sleeping' in the corridor next to the kitchens. He seemed very determined to finish the bet, however. I may have felt a _bit_ sorry for him… actually, nah.

Plus, watching Emmett jump around waving his arms about whenever he wanted to say something was incredibly amusing.

When the time came for Emmett to be able to talk again, he yelled so loudly that I think Harry, Ron and Hermione would have been able to hear him from their spot near the lake. We were in the library at the time, so naturally Madam Prince chased him out with a very heavy looking book, becoming especially more vicious after the yell that escaped him when Alice said he'd opened his mouth five seconds too early, leaving me to think about what I would use my favours for.

The other exciting… odd… ridiculous… _strange_ thing that kept happening over the weekend was that Rose and Jazz would constantly sneak off together and come back grinning like Cheshire cats. Jacob had joked that maybe Alice and Emm should start thinking about finding new mates.

Yeah, he spent the rest of the day outside after that.

But, either way, I was very curious as to what they were doing. I could tell Emmett was as well – it was the only thing that even seemed coming close to annoying him as much as staying silent did. Edward and Alice were a little too smug in my opinion, knowing what was going on.

Either way, I couldn't wait to see what Rose and Jazz were planning – especially after they got another set of punishments after managing to turn another poor, innocent classroom purple, although, according to Jazz, they had now stopped 'experimenting on live animals', which Rose continued to claim was 'All Jasper's fault in the first place'.

They did seem to have stayed under McGonagall's radar for now though, and Umbridge's, which I guess is all we could ask for. However, it was kind of hard to keep a track of what she was doing all the time, even with the ten off us and our super string hearing in the castle. What we really needed was a spy, someone who could go unnoticed…

By the time Monday rolled around, we were all rather glad, as we would have more of an excuse to stay inside – even if we had to deal with Umbridge's classes.

However, our mood was severely dampened when we saw the notice board Monday morning.

_BY ORDER OF THE HIGH INQUISITOR OF HOGWARTS_

_All student organizations, societies, teams, groups and clubs are henceforth disbanded._

_An organization, society, team, group or club is hereby defined as a regular meeting of three or more students._

_Permission to re-form may be sought from the High Inquisitor (Professor Umbridge)._

_No student organization, society, team, group or club may exist without the knowledge and approval of the High Inquisitor._

_Any student found to have formed, or to belong to, an organization, society, team, group or club that has not been approved by the High Inquisitor will be expelled._

_The above is in accordance with Educational Decree Number Twenty-four._

_Signed: Dolores Jane Umbridge, High Inquisitor_

Harry and Ron were both in the crowd surrounding the notice board.

"This isn't a coincidence," said Harry. "She knows."

"She can't," said Ron.

"Yes, she can," interrupted Edward. "She must have had a friend – or maybe someone that owed her a favour that overheard us on Saturday and told her."

"Perhaps," said Ron, "but-"

"We shouldn't be talking about this here," I said. "Just in case."

Harry nodded, and we moved away from the board.

"I wonder where Hermione is," said Ron. "She'd want to know about this."

"I'm sure she would," said Edward. "She'll be down soon."

"How can you know that?" asked Ron. Edward shrugged. "Well, I still think she'll want to know. Bella, go and get her."

"Excuse me?"

"You're in the same dorm as her, so you can go and get her."

"_Or_ we can just wait until she comes down. She won't be long – do you honestly expect her to risk being late for class?"

Ron pulled a face, which Hermione appeared just in time to see.

Before she could comment, however, Harry took her arm and dragged her over to look at the notice.

"Look at this!" exclaimed Harry. "Some one must have overheard us-"

"I still think someone blabbed," muttered Ron.

"They can't have done," said Hermione.

"You have too much trust in people," said Ron. "Just because people like you and I would keep our word doesn't mean that the likes of Zacharias Smith-"

"No, honestly, they can't have done, because I put a jinx on that parchment we all signed. Believe me, if anyone's run off and told Umbridge, we'll know exactly who they are and they'll regret it."

"What'll happen?" asked Ron.

"Let's just say it'll make Eliose Midgen's acne look like a couple of cute freckles."

Although a little harsh, I liked the way she described that… when added to the evil little smirk Hermione had going, it made me almost hope that someone would tell on us, just so I could see what would happen.

Almost, but not quite.

We headed down to breakfast - not the best way to start the day, although necessary – where we were immediately attacked by the school populace. At least, that's what it felt like. Many of those who had been at the Hogs Head came up to us – well, Harry and Hermione – asking if it was still on. Harry's answer made me grin:

"We're going to do it anyway of course."

_Of course._ I loved that. It was done deal, now – Harry had the idea in his head and it was going to stay. Besides, we all knew when we started that Umbridge wasn't going to like the idea. In that aspect, nothing had really changed.

Eventually, Hermione succeeded in stopping the seemingly continuous flow of people – good thing, too, it was getting a little bit suspicious – and we were able to eat our breakfast in peace. That is, if you consider feeling like you're about to gag peaceful.

When Angelina came over to talk to Harry – well, let's just say that Emmett heard and leave it at that, shall we? I don't particularly want to think about the high-pitched wail that filled the hall… and I didn't even know Emmett was capable of making such a sound.

The real interesting thing happened in history of magic. Man, I never thought that sentence would ever come out of my mouth. Oh well. It's true. But anyway, there we were, just sitting there, falling half asleep (if that were possible), when we heard a small tap on the window.

"Oh no," whispered Edward.

When I looked at him curiously, he gestured to the window. There, sitting on the sill, was Hedwig.

"What is it?" I asked, speaking quietly so no humans would be able to hear.

"Look at her wing," whispered Jake. "I think it's broken."

I looked a little closer and realised that he was right. Uh oh. I could think of something that might have put her in that state, and apparently Emmett was thinking along the same lines.

"You don't think she's been intercepted?" he asked.

"Hermione seems to think so," muttered Edward. By now, Harry had retrieved Hedwig and was heading out the door, Hermione watching him carefully.

"This is bad," she whispered to Ron.

"How come?" asked Ron. "I mean, yeah, it's not good that Harry's owl has been attacked but… oh."

"Exactly," hissed Hermione. "I'm sure that Harry must have sent something to Sirius, and that would mean-"

"If the old toad has managed to get her stubby little fingers on it, we're stuffed," whispered Ron seriously.

"Pretty much," said Hermione. She glanced over at me worriedly, obviously wondering if we'd heard what she'd said. I smiled at her with what I hoped look like encouragement. Hopefully she would trust us enough to talk to us later.

"Harry's given Hedwig to Grubbly-Plank," said Edward, a distant look on his face. "And he's pretty much just confirmed to McGonagall that the letter went to London."

"Crap," said Emmett.

"At least Hedwig's being looked after," I said.

"Yeah," said Jake, "But it's still not good."

"Understatement of the century," muttered Emmett.

During break, Edward and I waited with Ron and Hermione for Harry.

"Is Hedwig okay?" asked Hermione the moment Harry was in earshot.

"She's fine," said Harry, "I took her to Grubbly-Plank. And I talked to McGonagall – listen, she thinks that communications going in and out from Hogwarts are being watched. She thinks that perhaps Umbridge is-"

"We know, Harry," said Hermione. "Ron and I were just thinking that what if Hedwig had been intercepted?"

"Who was it from?" asked Ron.

"Snuffles - but the letter was still sealed and everything," said Harry.

"Mate, seals aren't too hard to redo with magic," said Ron.

"Unless, of course, Snuffles had done an un-resealable charm on the envelope, and let's be honest, I don't think he would have thought of that," said Hermione.

I almost groaned. Of course Sirius wouldn't have thought about that.

"Look," said Edward, "This isn't the end of the world – Snuffles may not have done an un-resealable charm, but he would have known not to put anything important in the letter. If Umbridge doesn't know what it means then we should be okay."

Hermione didn't look so sure, but the other two seemed to cheer up a little at this.

"What does the letter say?" I asked.

"Same time, same place," said Harry.

"That would mean the common room at midnight, right?" asked Ron, ignoring Hermione's indignant '_shush!_' "Well, that's not too bad… Umbridge would only know what that meant if she'd seen your other letter, and Hedwig hasn't seemed to be intercepted before now, right?"

"We can't be sure," said Hermione. "But oh, what if she does know? Snuffles will be in danger if he comes and we have no way of getting a message to him without that being intercepted as well!"

I glanced across the courtyard and saw Alice standing there with Nessie, Jake and Jasper, watching us with a concerned expression on her face. That didn't bode well for any of us.

After a few minutes, we all headed for the dungeons, not wanting to risk being late for Snape's class. As we got closer to the dungeons we could hear _his_ voice… although he only started on his little speech – which had clearly been rehearsed, if you don't mind my saying so – when we came around the corner.

"Yeah, Umbridge gave the Slytherin Quidditch team permission to continue playing straightaway; I went to ask her first thing this morning. Well, it was pretty much automatic, I mean, she knows my father really well, he's always popping in and out of the Ministry… it'll be interesting to see whether Gryffindor are allowed to keep playing, won't it?"

"Bloody hell," growled Ron. "Hermione, you wouldn't mind going and giving him a little smack, would you? He's getting on my nerves."

"Ron!" exclaimed Hermione.

"What? You've done it before!"

"I mean," said Malfoy, raising his voice a little more, glancing towards our direction, "If it's a question of influence with the Ministry, I don't think they've got much chance… from what my father says, they've been looking for an excuse to sack Arthur Weasley for years… and as for Potter… my father says it's a matter of time before the Ministry has him carted off to St. Mungo's… apparently they've got a special ward for people whose brains have been addled by magic."

"Honestly," I muttered, "It's like he's proud of being a product of abject nepotism."

The others, however, had noticed the more pressing issues regarding what he had just said.

"Don't rise," Hermione hissed and Ron and Harry. "It's just what he wants. Don't give him what he wants!"

Edward, on the other hand, had noticed something else. But he only had time to let an 'oh no' slip past his lips before Neville was streaking past us, heading for Malfoy.

Luckily Harry, who was closer to Neville than us, also noticed and managed to grab Neville's robes.

"Neville, stop!"

Ron rushed forward to help, as did Edward. I stayed by Hermione, both of us looking on in horror.

Crabbe and Goyle stepped in front of Malfoy – which, I might add, caused Rose to roll her eyes in disgust – and cracked their knuckles 'threateningly'. With Edward's help, Ron and Harry were easily able to pull the struggling Neville back to where we were standing.

"Not… funny… don't… Mungo's… show… him…" growled Neville, still trying to get away from the three.

"Neville, you have to stop," whispered Edward.

"Come on, Neville, Crabbe and Goyle will rip you to shreds," hissed Ron.

"I'll… he'll… Mungo's… regret…"

"Yeah Neville, he will, but Snape's about to open the door and we don't want him to-"

"But-"

"Come on, Neville," growled Ron.

Unfortunately, just as Edward had said he would, Snape chose that moment to enter the hallway.

"Well, well, well, what do we have here? Fighting, Potter, Longbottom, Weasley, Masen? I think that'll be five points from Gryffindor each… Release Longbottom, the three of you, or it'll be detention."

"We had to stop you," said Harry, looking apologetic as he let Neville go. "Like Ron said, Crabbe and Goyle would've torn you apart."

Neville didn't say anything. He just picked up his bag and stalked off.

"What in the name of Merlin was _that_ about?" asked Ron, as we took our seats.

Hermione seemed as if she did not know, but Harry… Harry looked pained. Like he knew what was going on but couldn't say anything. Like it was one of the most horrible things he had ever heard of. I glanced over to see a similar expression on Edward's face – he had clearly read what it was about in Neville's mind.

When we all filed into the room, we found yet another nasty surprise waiting for us.

Yeah, today was not a good day.

Although I must admit, Snape's inspection was quite amusing, even if it did cause Harry to get another zero.

Rose and Jasper looked shifty though. I could have sworn I saw them smuggling potions ingredients into their bags when they thought no one was looking…

If I don't find out what they they're doing soon, I'm going to explode.

Lunch was uneventful, unless you count Harry _trying_ to skive off divination as eventful. It was on our way up to the top of the North Tower that I got my amazing idea…

We were 'sprinting' up the steps, running late for divination, as usual, with Ron complaining loudly, as usual, when we were interrupted.

"Aye there, why the rush? Are you on a quest? Searching for something? Call on Sir Cadogan, my fair damsels and sirs, if you are ever in need of assistance!"

The others ignored him and I was about to do the same. But then I remembered something I had thought about over the weekend, and skidded to a halt, almost causing Harry, who was behind me, to fall down.

"What are you doing Bella?" he asked, panting hard. "We're nearly late as it is! Keep moving!"

"I just…"

"Can I help you, my lady?" asked the portrait.

"Actually.." I said thinking. "Yes, you can. But, as you pointed out, I am in a bit of a hurry – would you mind terribly if I came and had a bit of a chat later?"

"But of course!" He cried.

"Come on!" said Harry in exasperation, grabbing my arm and tugging me towards the classroom. Ron had already rounded the corner, not noticing we had stopped.

Alice, however, had clearly seen what I was planning, as she turned to me, a huge grin on her face and said:

"You, my sister, are brilliant. BRILLIANT!"

'Why, thank you, Alice," I said. "Remind me to mention that the next time you try to give me a makeover."

"So, what was all that about?" asked Harry, still pulling me along.

"Oh, nothing," I said. "Just an idea for a prank on Emmett."

"Twins," he muttered rolling his eyes. "They're all the same…"

xXx

"Come on guys, look at this! What teacher would want you in their classroom when there's a risk you might throw up on the precious pile of papers they've just marked? Just take one of these, and you've got yourself a one-way ticket out of that boring lesson and towards hours of endless procrastination! Just watch as Weasley and Weasley prove just how effective these amazing Weasley's Wizard Wheezes' Puking Pastilles really are!"

"You know, I think those boys might just be pure genius," I commented, watching as Lee Jordon collected Gold from the crowd of adoring students. "I mean, they really know what a group of students want, especially with Umbridge in the school."

"Alice will be mad that she never thought of this," said Edward, grinning. "If she had, she could have left the stocks alone for a few decades. It really annoys her, watching them you know. Gives her a headache."

"Emmett enjoys it, though," I said, remembering Emmett jumping around like a crazy buffoon the day facebook joined the stock-market.

"Emmett is the reason we can't just leave our money in the bank to accumulate interest," said Edward dryly. "If we let him have his way, all our money would be gone in a second. Literally all of it."

We were in the common room, waiting. I needed to go and talk to that damn portrait, but I couldn't until after Sirius turned up – we didn't have to be in the room, of course, but really we should know what was going on.

We had finished all our work over the weekend, having been stuck inside, and we had managed to get what work we given over the course of the day done fairly quickly. Harry was still working on the essay Snape had given him, whilst Ron was practically asleep next to him and Hermione scowled at the twins. We didn't want to go over to them yet… we would wait a bit.

Only thing was that left us with nothing to do.

We didn't have to wait long though. Soon enough, the students dispersed to bed and Fred, George and Lee, left with no customers, followed the crowd up to the dormitories. That just left the five of us.

"I suppose you two want to stay for a chat as well?" asked Hermione. We moved closer to them.

"If that's okay…" I said.

"We'd just like to know what's going on," said Edward. "No one tells us anything."

"I know the feeling," said Harry, pushing his essay away from him. "And there is no way I'm going to be able to do any more of this tonight. It's giving me a headache."

"Good call, mate," said Ron, waking himself up with a yawn and a shake. Then suddenly he jumped, and almost fell off his chair. "Sirius!"

Sirius frowned.

"You were expecting me, weren't you? Didn't you get my letter?"

"Yeah, we did," said Harry. "Ron's just asleep."

"Hey!"

"What? It's true."

"How're things?" asked Sirius.

"Not good," said Harry.

"Umbridge is being a right toad," said Ron.

"And she's put through another degree!" said Hermione. "She's horrible, she-"

"Sirius," cut in Harry, "This new degree, it means that we can't have _Quidditch_ teams-"

"Or secret Defence Against the Dark Arts groups?" asked Sirius with a grin. I had to suppress a laugh.

"How did you know about that?" demanded Harry.

"You need to pick your meeting places more carefully," said Sirius. "The Hogs Head, I ask you."

"It was better than the Three Broomsticks," said Hermione indignantly. "That's always packed with people-"

"So it would be incredibly hard for people to hear you," said Sirius. "You've got to learn, Hermione."

"Bloody hell," said Ron, looking over at me. "That's exactly what you said."

Hermione looked sheepish.

"That still doesn't answer my question," Harry pointed out.

"Just because Mundungus is one of the worst spies ever doesn't mean we don't have other ways of finding things out." Sirius winked. "Dumbledore, er, knows the owner of the Hogs Head."

"_Dumbledore_ is friends with _that_ old guy?" asked Ron, twisting his face.

"I wouldn't say friends, exactly," said Sirius.

"Wait, wait, wait," said Hermione. "What do you mean, _Mundungus_ was there?"

"Well, he was there, but he managed to get himself kicked out. Although, he was not with help, I believe," said Sirius, passing his gaze over us.

"Hey, don't look at me," I said, holding up my hands. "That was all Emmett."

"Wait, you knew Mundungus was in there?" asked Ron. "Why didn't you say anything?"

"As Sirius said, he got kicked out before you turned up," said Edward. "Besides, it didn't seem that important. You guys had other things to worry about."

"What was he even doing there, anyway?" asked Harry.

Sirius gave him a significant look.

"What! No way! I'm still being followed?"

"Yeah, of course you are. What did you expect? And good thing too, seeing as the first thing you do is go off and form an illegal defence group."

"It's not illegal," said Ron, cutting off any further argument from Harry. "At least, it wasn't then."

"And it still isn't," said Hermione. "It's only against the rules that _Umbridge_ made up to be enforced within the _school_; they can't send us to Azkaban for trying to study so we can pass our Defence OWLs."

"Oh is _that_ the story you're planning on using?" asked Sirius.

Hermione nodded proudly, but her smile was wiped off her face with Sirius' next words.

"And here I was considering inaugurating the three of you – and Fred and George, of course – as the next generation of Marauders. You lot _seriously_ need to work on your excuses."

"What's wrong with that?" asked Ron, looking a little put out.

"First off, wouldn't it seem strange that you've got third and fourth years in your group – surely they don't need to be studying for OWLs already?"

"I guess," sighed Hermione.

"Secondly, saying that you need a group to study defence and no other subject is a great big insult to Umbridge's teaching skills."

"It's hardly a-"

"I know, Ron, but how do you think she'll see it?"

"That's true," I said.

"And thirdly; by starting up a defence group, you have pretty much just confirmed Cornelius Fudge's greatest fear. Do you think he's going to allow that to go unnoticed? This is more than just a school rule you're dealing with here, Hermione."

"What has that got to do with Hermione's excuse?" asked Ron.

"Never mind that, what's Fudge's greatest fear?" asked Hermione.

"Of course," said Edward. Sirius looked at him expectantly. "Fudge thinks we're not acting alone; he thinks that Dumbledore told Harry to start up this group so he can build an army to overthrow the Ministry."

"Exactly," said Sirius.

"But that's ridiculous," said Harry. "If Dumbledore wanted to overthrow the ministry, all he'd have to do is say the word and he'd have most of the magical population behind him in a heartbeat!"

"At least, he would have done before the _Prophet_ started spreading lies," added Hermione.

"I know that," said Sirius. "Anyone in their right mind knows that. But you see, Fudge _isn't_ in his right mind."

It was silent for a moment as we turned this over in our own minds.

"Oh, that reminds me," said Sirius, "Ron, I have a message from your mother."

How anything that we had been talking about could have reminded Sirius about a message from Molly, I have no idea, but, apparently it did, so there you go.

"Wait a second," said Ron. "You mean my _mother_ knows that you were going to come and speak to us and didn't do anything about it? That she _actually_ gave you a message to pass on rather than using a more conventional means like, oh, I don't know, an _owl_?"

Sirius laughed.

"She seems to think that it is more important to inform you that you are under no circumstances to join an illegal secret Defence Against the Dark Arts group. She says you'll be expelled for sure and your future will be ruined. She says there will be plenty of time to learn how to defend yourself later and that you are too young to be worrying about that right now. She also" (Sirius's eyes turned to the other two) "advises Harry and Hermione not to proceed with the group, though she accepts that she has no authority over either of them and simply begs them to remember that she has their best interests at heart. She would have written all this to you, but if the owl had been intercepted you'd all have been in real trouble, and so she thinks it is more important that you heard this NOW rather than later, no matter how. Oh, and she can't say it for herself because she's on duty tonight."

"You mean she was considering actually coming here herself?" asked Ron, shaking his head. "Man, she must really want me to not- hey, hang on, there is no way I'm going to do that! I'm sticking with this no matter what Mum says!"

"That's the spirit!" said Sirius.

"Wait, so you don't mind if I go ahead with this?" asked Harry.

"Of course I don't! Who do you take me for, a prefect?" At this, Hermione and Ron shot offended looks at Sirius, who ignored them. "Harry, I'm a Marauder, of course I think you should go through with this!"

"But last year you said not to take any risks!"

"This is a completely different situation from last year!"

"But-"

"Plus, you have that lot this year," said Sirius, gesturing to us.

"That doesn't make a-"

"Harry, do you want me to forbid you from doing this? Not that I could anyway, mind you."

"No, of course not!"

"Then be quiet! Honestly, if you didn't look so much like James would doubt you were his son!"

"Sirius! I exclaimed. "That was uncalled for!"

"Sorry," he said, shaking his head. "It's just, well, you want to do this, don't you Harry?"

"Yes, of course!"

"Then what's stopping you? A couple of rules? Well, they don't matter as long you don't… get… caught…"

Sirius' head had turned in the fire, and his eyes were widening as he stared at something coming out of the side of the wall. A second later, his head disappeared with a _pop!_

"Quick," hissed Edward, grabbing Harry and Ron's arms. "Get to the dormitory, _now!_"

The three of them rushed up the steps, and I grabbed Hermione, pulling her along as fast as I thought I could.

When we reached the top of the steps, we looked back.

There, in the fire, was a small hand with stubby fingers covered in rings, groping right where Sirius' head was, as if it were expecting to grab something.

I grabbed Hermione by the shoulder and pulled her into the dormitory.

"That was close," she whispered, panting heavily. "Way too close. I knew something was wrong when Hedwig came in earlier… I just _knew_ it!"

"There wasn't anything we could have done," I said. "As you said this morning, we couldn't have gotten a message to him without that being intercepted as well."

"But that's what worries me," said Hermione, though I had a feeling she hadn't heard me at all. "Did she intercept Harry's other letter? How did she know what '_Same time, same place_' meant?"

"Maybe-"

"Even Mrs. Weasley knew that letters were being intercepted! We should have told Sirius the moment he got here that he needed to leave!"

"You know you couldn't have done that," I said, quickly looking around to make sure that the other girls in the room were asleep. "Harry needed to talk to _Snuffles_."

"Yes," she said, "But we didn't even talk about anything important! I completely forgot to ask him anything about where we could hold the meetings! Completely forgot! He was a Marauder, surely he would have been able to think of something!"

"Perhaps," I said, "But I'm sure we can think of something. After all, if we get _really_ desperate, we can always ask Sir Nicholas. Surely, after all the time he's spent in the castle, he'll know of somewhere, and I'm sure we can trust him."

"Maybe…" said Hermione.

"It's late," I said, firmly. "We should get some sleep. We have lessons tomorrow morning after all."

"Good idea," sighed Hermione. "I'll have to think about this in the morning…"

Finally, _finally_ she started to get ready for bed. I just hoped she'd fall asleep quickly; I still had a stupid picture to go and talk to.

xXx

I didn't want Edward to come.

He was annoyed about that, as I knew he would be, but there was no helping it. He couldn't come. Edward didn't do divination, and so he'd never been in the North Tower. This meant that Sir Cadogan had never seen him, which worked to my advantage. Sir Cadogan was a knight – and not just any knight, but an incredibly, erm, _chivalrous_ knight, and therefore I knew he would help out a 'damsel in distress'. Of course, the image would be completely ruined if that damsel already had a man to look after her (I feel so anti-feminist saying that, but oh well) so therefore, Edward couldn't come.

He didn't seem to understand this.

He wanted to come with me; I gave him my explanation. He wanted to hide around the corner; I told him that Sir Cadogan can walk through every portrait and therefore may see him if he were not in his portrait as I walk up. He wanted to hide several corridors away.

Well, that was just ridiculous.

For that one, I told him that if I got caught then there would be nothing he could do about it, and that if we both got caught it would be even worse.

Eventually, he agreed to stay in the dorms, and slouched back up the stairs looking dejected.

I waited until I was outside the very disgruntled Fat Lady before I allowed myself to do a victory dance.

It took me quite a while to reach the North Tower, what with having to avoid teachers and prefects and all, but I made it eventually. And there he was, Sir Cadogan, the round little knight leaning against his even rounder little grey pony, fast asleep.

Well, okay, I guess I should have expected this. All the other portraits were asleep, after all. I suppose it just didn't occur to me that Cadogan would be as well.

"Ahem." I did a little fake cough, but Cadogan didn't even budge.

"Um, hello?"

Nothing.

"Hello?"

Nope.

"Sir Cadogan?"

Nada.

"HELLO!"

"Shh!" hissed a painting a little ways down the corridor. "I'm trying to sleep here!"

"Sorry," I whispered, turning back to Cadogan.

Clearly, this required a little bit of thinking.

Then it hit me.

"Sir Cadogan," I said, "Please help me. Sir Cadogan, please, I desperately need a favor. I have a quest for you, Sir Cadogan!"

And like a bullet of a gun, Sir Cadogan was up, pulling his sword from it's sheath (it actually came out this time) and held it in the air and – apart from his belly – looked rather like one of the legendary knights of the round table.

That is, until he started spinning in circles to detect the disturbance.

The pony, on the other hand, simply snorted in annoyance and went back to sleep.

"Over here, Sir," I said.

Abruptly, he stopped spinning and faced me.

"Aha! It's you, my fair lady! You said earlier that you are in need of my aid, did you not? A Quest you say! Ah! Well, you have come to the right place! Allow Sir Cadogan to aid you in any way possible!"

"Well, I really do need your help with something," I said.

"Go on," he said.

"Well, you see-" I paused, and looked around, as if searching for eavesdroppers, before leaning in closer to the canvas. "This is not just about me. This is a matter of the protection of the entire castle."

I expected those to be the magic words. I expected Sir Cadogan to puff out his chest and announce that I had come to the right place, and that he would help me and defend the castle in any way portraitly possible. But that isn't what he did.

Sir Cadogan seemed to shrink in upon himself, and he backed away from the frame of the portrait.

"I'm sorry," He stuttered, his odd way of speaking completely disappearing. "But I'm not sure I'll be able to help you with that."

Okay, no need to say that confused me.

"But I thought you said you'd be able to help me with anything?" I asked.

"Old habit, I suppose, my lady," said Cadogan. "There was once a time when I believed that. When the headmaster asked me to do my part and defend the school I jumped at the opportunity. But I am afraid to say that I failed in my quest, and a student was nearly killed because of it."

Wow, um okay. So the portrait nearly got someone killed…

"When was this?" I asked.

"Two years ago."

Okay, so the portrait almost got someone that I probably knew killed.

"Who?"

"The young Potter's friend, the rogue."

"Ron?" I said, shocked, knowing he wouldn't describe Hermione as a 'rogue'. "What happened?"

"I'd rather not speak of it, my lady, if it's all the same to ye."

I sighed, and rubbed my forehead. I thought this would be easy… Apparently not.

"Sir Cadogan," I said. "Are you are knight or not?"

"I don't deserve to be," he said.

"Stop moping! What ever you did can't be as bad as what will happen if you do not help me now! Hogwarts is in grave danger, Sir Cadogan, and I require _your_ help! Do not desert your castle when she is dire need! Now, I ask you again, Sir; Are you a knight!"

Cadogan stood up straight, snapped his legs together and saluted.

"Yes, ma'am."

"Will you help me to defend our school?"

"Yes, ma'am!"

"Right then! Now we've got that sorted, here's what I need you to do…"

xXx

"Bloody hell," groaned Ron as he collapsed into his chair in the Charms classroom. "Why can't Snuffles pick a better time? I mean, I know he needs to be careful and all, but I only got about two hours of sleep last night!"

"Liar," said Edward. "You had at least seven. You went to bed at about one and only woke up fifteen minutes ago."

"Yeah," said Ron, "Which means I missed breakfast. Honestly, I think missing breakfast is the equivalent of missing four hours of sleep. Therefore-"

"Honestly, you're as bad as Jake," I said, earning a laugh from Renesmee who was seated on the other side of the room.

"Besides," said Hermione, "If breakfast is worth four hours why didn't you just wake up a half hour earlier? That way you wouldn't have missed breakfast and you would still have slept."

"Hermione, you're a girl," said Ron. "You just don't understand."

"Edward and I woke up, and we're not girls," said Harry.

"Well, that's just beside the point," spluttered Ron.

Our laughter was interrupted by Flitwick as he began his lesson on silencing charms After that, our conversation became much more serious. After all, what better place is there to hold a secret conversation than a lesson filled with squawking and croaking?

"What I don't understand," said Ron, "Is how the toad knew what Harry's letter meant. _Silencio_."

"I've been thinking the same thing," said Hermione. "_Silencio_. I mean, there was no indication that Hedwig was intercepted before yesterday."

"She didn't necessarily need to," I said. "_Silencio_."

"_Silencio._ What do you mean?" asked Harry.

"Well, you see," I said, "_Silencio_. If someone saw that letter then they would easily be able to figure out that a meeting was going to take place. _Silencio_."

"Oh, I see. If they knew a meeting was going to taking place, it wouldn't be too hard to figure out that whoever it was would be using the Floo Network. And as the note was attached to Harry's owl, Umbridge would know that the most likely place would be Gryffindor tower. All she would have to do then is watch the fireplace. _Silencio!_" Hermione grinned triumphantly, both due to figuring out the problem and because her raven just stopped mid squawk.

"Of course," said Harry, "How could we have been so _stupid_?"

"No one would have ever thought of that," said Edward. "_Silencio_. Okay, well, maybe Dumbledore would have, but that's completely different."

"Either way, this all comes down to the fact that Umbridge is watching your mail, Harry," said Hermione.

"No, _really_?" asked Ron, sarcasm practically dripping from his mouth. "_Silencio. Silencio. SILENCIO_! Damn it, why won't this bloody spell _work_?"

"I've been considering the possibility ever since you said Filch asked you about dungbombs, Harry," said Hermione, completely ignoring Ron. "Oh, and watch your frog, by the way, it's escaping."

"_SILENCIO!"_

"Oh for goodness sake, Ronald, you're moving your wand wrong. It isn't a wave, it's sort of more of a jab-"

"Oh, shut _up_, Hermione," groaned Ron. Though I did notice that he changed his wand movements after that.

Nothing really happened for the rest of the day (unless you count Angelina announcing that the Quidditch team had gained permission to reform), although it did begin to rain, thank god. I could only hope the rain would remain for a while longer… a long while longer.

Harry and Ron headed out to Quidditch practice leaving Hermione to do some knitting in the common room (which, if I'm honest, I did _not_ want to get involved in), so I sent Edward off to go talk to Nessie while I went to get a report from Sir Cadogan.

"Did you get anything?" I asked.

"Well, my Lady, I digress, it has been less than a day-"

"I know, I know. I'm sorry. I suppose I shouldn't have expected you to-"

"My Lady, I had not yet finished!"

"Sorry," I said, starting to smile. It seemed like this had been a good idea…

"I managed to visit one of those fluffy demonic felines you told me about – in disguise, of course – and let me tell you, those braggarts were the most fiendish creatures I've come across. Fortunately, they did not blow my cover and I heard the – you called her a 'toad' – speak of a message."

"What message?"

"One between Potter and what she believed to be his godfather."

My eyes widened. So she _did _know it was Sirius… how, though? I asked Cadogan if he knew.

"I know not, my lady. The toad merely stated that she would be continuing to watch the fire. Also, she will be looking for a way to punish the Potter boy."

"Is that all?"

"Yes Ma'am. But never fear – I shall continue on this quest until there is but no breath in my body!"

"Thank you, Sir knight," I said. "This is much more than I had hoped for."

"You were right," said Cadogan. "I must put aside my prattilish worries and defend my castle when she needs it most! I have you to thank for helping me realize such. I am in your debt, my lady."

With that, he bowed.

"Oh no," I said, shaking my head. "What you are doing is more than I could have asked for."

"Then I shall continue to the best of my ability!

"And the others?" I asked. His expression became forlorn.

"Alas, the only one of my comrades that I have accosted be my noble steed, but between you and me, he isn't really all that noble. But, I am sure that when I get around to asking them, the others will be sure to join with me on this noble quest!"

"Are you alright for now, though?" I asked. "I'm sure I could convince the Fat Lady to ask Violet-"

"I can manage alone for now, my lady. Never fear – Sir Cadogan will complete this quest!"

"I know you will," I said. "Just make sure you aren't seen."

"Please," said Cadogan. "I was an expert at sneaking past my lord to get to the tavern back in the day!"

"I'm sure you were," I said, chuckling as he walked out of the African landscape he had entered to talk to me.

I was still chuckling as I walked past an 'empty' classroom, the door of which slammed open as I passed, spilling out a very orange looking Rosalie and a very blue – and _shimmering_ – looking Jasper.

"I don't even want to know," I said, continuing on walking towards the common room.

When I got there, I immediately noticed the tense look on Edward's face.

It was late by now; Hermione had clearly already gone to bed, and Harry, Ron and Edward were some of the very few students left still up, with the two humans looking like they were working on their charms essay.

However, Harry didn't seem to be getting much done – he looked troubled. Thinking that this probably had something to do with the expression on Edward's face, I lifted my shield and wondered what was going on.

"It's Harry's scar," said Edward quietly. "It's bothering him again."

Uh oh.

"No, not what you're thinking," said Edward. "No cause for alarm, but…"

What?

"Well, Harry found that he was able to feel what Voldemort was feeling."

But that meant… that meant that their link was getting stronger…

"Exactly," whispered Edward.

I let my shield snap back into place in shock.

This was bad. This was very bad. If Harry knew what Voldemort was feeling… did the connection go both ways? Was Harry in danger?

I didn't know, but I knew exactly who I was going to talk to.

I grabbed Edwards arm and dragged him through the school, this time not even commenting when we passed the now fluffy Slytherin members of our family.

xXx

"So… It is as I feared," said Dumbledore.

We were sitting across from him in his office, having just told him of what Harry felt. I felt kind of bad doing this, like I was betraying Harry's trust. Not that I had is trust, anyway – he didn't exactly tell me what he had felt. Edward did. But that just made it even worse…

Still, I knew that this was the right thing to do. If we did nothing Harry would just keep it to himself, or at least only tell Ron and Hermione, and then the situation would just get worse. If Dumbledore knew, then maybe he would be able to do something about it.

"You knew something like this would happen?" asked Edward.

"I didn't know, but I suspected it, yes," said Dumbledore. "I knew that when that curse hit Harry it would not be without consequences… I had thought about the possibility of there being a connection. When I discovered that Harry's scar was causing him pain, and then when he began to have dreams relating to Voldemort last year, my suspicions were all but confirmed. There is a link between Harry and Voldemort's minds…"

"That's why you haven't been talking to him," said Edward, realizing spreading across his face. "You managed to hide that from me."

"Yes, you are right. I must stay away from Harry, as I do not wish to give Voldemort another reason to enter Harry's mind completely. Although, I do not think he is aware of the connection."

"Who, Harry or Voldemort?" I asked.

"Both. While Harry knows that he must have some sort of connection due to the pain, the dreams and now these emotions the two of you told me about, he has no idea of the extend. Voldemort, on the other hand, I am sure knows nothing of this connection. If he did, he would have already taken advantage of it."

Dumbledore suddenly jumped out of his chair and began pacing.

"The best thing to do would be to have Harry learn Occlumency," said Dumbledore. "But if I did that e would be aware that something was very wrong…"

"But surely it is better to act now before something really bad does happen?" I asked.

"Yes, but If Harry becomes aware of the potency of the connection, then it is likely Voldemort will as well. That is something I cannot risk."

"So you will put him at risk instead?" I asked.

"The safest thing to do now is to encourage Harry not to think of it," said Dumbledore.

"But surely that will make him suspicious?" asked Edward.

"Yes, but it is the best we can do at the moment."

"Well what if I try to shield him?" I asked. "Then he would not have to know, and it would protect him!"

"That would not work," said Dumbledore, shaking his head.

"But the only person or thing that we know of that can get past my shield is Renesmee, and that's because she's my daughter," I said. "Surely I should be able to-"

"Bella, you once told me that your shield was like a bubble that surrounds you and the person you want to protect, and it acts to stop things from getting inside that bubble, am I right?" said Dumbledore.

I nodded mutely.

"In that case, it would not work in this situation, as the source of the connection is inside Harry himself. You would not be able to put him inside your shield and block out the connection at the same time."

I didn't reply. It was obvious that he was right.

"I think that all we can do now is sit and wait. You are right, Edward; if we try and encourage Harry not to think of it, he will only become frustrated and curious, and will try to figure it out by himself."

"What can we do in the mean time?" asked Edward.

"Just try and keep him out of trouble," sighed Dumbledore, finally sitting back down. "Especially when it comes to Umbridge."

"That reminds me," I said, "Last night-"

"I already know, Bella," said Dumbledore, sounding every bit the old man that he was. "Sirius informed me after it happened."

"He actually told you?" I said, stunned. Sirius didn't seem the type to dob himself in.

"Sirius may not like to admit it when he is wrong, but he knows when it is more important that we all learn of what happened. He's a smart man… most of the time."

"I'm sorry, Professor," said Edward. "We should have tried to stop him-"

"No," said Dumbledore, "You wouldn't have been able to, and you would have probably alienated Harry."

He pressed his fingertips together, and looked over them to us, his blue eyes sparkling.

"Watch him, but make sure you do not push him away. Harry will need as many friends as he can get if he is to survive all that is to come."

It was obvious that the conversation was over, so we nodded to him and stood, taking our leave. Just before we reached the door, however, Dumbledore called us back.

"Oh, and Bella, Edward. Make sure that whatever it is your siblings are planning they do not completely destroy the Quidditch pitch. It would be a real shame if we had to cancel the season after the first game to get it rebuilt."

xXx

The next morning, we came down to breakfast to find Harry and Ron almost gushing in excitement, whilst Hermione watched them cautiously.

"Great, you're here," said Harry as we sat down. "Listen – I've found us a place to hold the defence meetings!"

"You have?" I asked. "That's brilliant! Where?"

"The Room of Requirement," said Ron.

The what? Where on earth did Harry and Ron manage to find a room that none of us had ever heard of before in a castle they had lived in for over four years? Apparently, Edward was thinking along the same lines.

"Where?" asked Edward in confusion. "I don't remember you ever telling us about a 'Room of Requirement' before. Though I have to admit, the name sounds promising."

"We didn't tell you before because we didn't know before," said Ron.

"Dobby told me about it last night," said Harry.

"Who's Dobby?" I asked.

"A house elf," said Hermione, sniffing with disdain. Although it was obvious she was not demeaning Dobby's species – anyone who had heard of S.P.E.W would know that.

"I haven't met any of the house elves yet," I said. Which was kind of half true. I didn't think Kreacher counted – he could hardly be a good example of his race. If he was, surely Hermione wouldn't be defending them in the way she is…

Although, Hermione seems like someone who would fight for the rights of anything if she felt like she needed to.

"Oh, I'll have to take you down to the kitchens later, Bella," said Ron happily, while Hermione looked at him in disapproval. "The house elves are brilliant; amazing service!"

"I'd rather not, thanks," I said quickly, partly to stop the Hermione-Ron argument I could sense was about to erupt and partly because the thought of being in the place where the masses of food was actually cooked made me feel slightly nauseous.

Being at breakfast certainly didn't help. How on earth had I ever found this stuff appetizing beck when I was human?

The only thing that made breakfast slightly worthwhile was the look on Angelina's face when Harry told her it was 'good' that Quidditch practice was cancelled.

Honestly, if this goes on much longer I'll have to buy Angelina some flowers or something. She always seems to make things more entertaining.

That made me think of what Dumbledore had said the night before… It almost made me hope that whatever Rose and Jazz were planning would result in the demolition of the Quidditch pitch. Boy, would Angelina be a sight to see if that happened…

Okay, okay, I did say _almost_, didn't I?

That evening, we all headed up to the seventh floor, and stared at a wall opposite one of the oddest tapestries I had ever seen. Honestly, why on earth would anyone in their right mind try and teach _ballet_ to bunch of _trolls_?

Well, I guess that's why he's known as Barnabas the _Barmy_.

"You know, that thing is absolutely amazing," said Edward pointing to the piece of parchment in Harry's hand, which was apparently a map.

"Um, thanks," said Harry.

"So, what do we have to do again?" asked Ron.

"Well, Dobby said that we have to walk past this bit of wall three times, thinking hard about what we need," said Harry.

"Are you sure Harry?"

"Of course, he told me last night."

"No, I mean… well, it's just that Dobby's plans aren't really safe, are they, and well…"

I sighed. For someone who was fighting so hard for elf rights, she didn't have much trust in them.

"This room isn't just some random idea of Dobby's," said Harry. "Dumbledore mentioned it to me as well."

"Dumbledore?" I said, surprised. I didn't think he would have suggested a meeting place for Harry to hold the defence meetings… but then, he was a strange man. I don't think I'd ever be able to predict what he would do next.

"He only mentioned it in passing," explained Harry. "It was last year, at the Yule Ball."

"Oh, well, if Dumbledore mentioned it then it must be alright," said Hermione, her reservations seemingly fading.

Well, good. We don't want to have to tell everyone to just leave when they turn up; I have a feeling that they have all been looking forward to this. I know I have.

We walked in front of the wall together, all thinking the same thing – or at least variations of the same thing.

_We need a place to learn defensive magic… We need a place to learn defensive magic… somewhere that we won't be found by anyone that we don't wish to be involved… somewhere Umbridge will never come across… we need a place to learn defensive magic…_

"Guys, look!" said Ron.

As one, we all looked up to see a shiny door in the wall – one that had certainly not been there a few seconds earlier.

"That's amazing," I said.

"Well, don't just stand there staring at it," said Harry, heading for the door. "Come on!"

The room was brilliant. It was everything we needed and a whole lot more. There were cushions on the ground which, as Ron said, would be brilliant for practicing stunning. The walls were lined with bookcases which held hundreds of books, all of them about defensive technique. There was also a shelf filled with loads of curious objects which I figured must be somehow defensive as well.

Hermione, predictably, headed straight for the books and plopped down on a cushion with one in hand.

Not long afterwards, the others began to arrive.

"This place is brilliant!" yelled Emmett as he walked through the door, scaring several people.

"Shut up Em," said Renesmee as she entered, her eyes alight with wonder.

"He is right though," said Jake. "This is great. Perfect, even."

"Of course it is," huffed Alice, sitting next to me. "Didn't I tell you it would be?"

Everyone that had been in the Hogs Head were there; Ginny, Fred, George, Lee, Angelina, Dean, Seamus, Neville, Luna, Lavender, Parvati, Padma, Cho, her friend, Angelina, the other two Gryffindor Chasers, the three Ravenclaw boys, Colin, Dennis, Ernie, Hannah, another Hufflepuff, Susan bones, a few others that I didn't know and even bloody Zacharias Smith.

No need to say Harry seemed a little nervous as he stood in front of us all.

"Well," he said.

I grinned. Oh, nice start, Harry. Well done. Brilliantly played.

"So, er, this is the place we've found for practice sessions and, er, you've obviously found it okay…"

I exchanged a look with Jake, noticing that he too was grinning. This was getting better and better.

Yeah, that's it, Harry, keep going. You'll have them eating from the palm of your hand in no time.

"Okay… so…"

I almost giggled. Almost.

"Stop it Mom," Nessie hissed at me quietly. "It's not nice. He's probably really nervous!"

Emmett snickered quietly, probably because I just got told off by my own daughter, but thankfully Alice quieted him with a look before Harry noticed.

"So, I've been thinking of some things we could start with and – what, Hermione?"

Damn it Hermione! Of _course_ you interrupted just as he got going!

"I think we should elect a leader," she said brightly.

"Harry's leader," said Ginny immediately.

"Yes, but we should vote on it. That way he has more authority," said Hermione.

"Yes," said Emmett quietly, "Because Winston Churchill had so much more authority than Adolf Hitler did."

"That's beside the point," I hissed at him. "Hitler was elected too, you know."

Emmett looked annoyed, but didn't say anything else.

"Alright," said Hermione, having not heard Emm's comment. "Who thinks Harry should be leader?"

Everyone rose their hand.

"Er, thanks," said Harry, rubbing the back of his neck nervously. "So – What now, Hermione?"

"I think we should have a name," she said. "It would promote a feeling of team spirit and unity."

A swear I had to force myself not to roll my eyes. Yeah, okay, so maybe we needed a name. But couldn't she have just said 'I think we need a name?'

"Good idea, Hermione," said Alice, causing Hermione to grin.

"Can we be the Anti-Umbridge league?" asked Angelina.

"The Slytherins are Savage Syndicate!" said George.

"No way," said Fred. "It has to be the Ministry of Magic are Morons Movement!"

"I like that one," said Emmett, reaching over to give Fred a high-five.

"Why don't we just call ourselves the You-know-who-is-back-no-matter-what-the-_Prophet_-says-so-we-need-to-learn-more-magic Guild and be done with it?" growled Smith.

Understandably, no one listened to him.

"Death to the Toad Society?" said a Ravenclaw who I did not know.

"Wait, wait, wait," said Hermione, glaring at Fred and George in particular. "We can't have something so obvious, we need to be able to talk about this around other people."

"Harry's Infantry?" suggested Nessie. Harry made a face at that.

"What about the Defence Association?" said Cho, actually suggesting something realistic. "DA for short, so no one would know what we're talking about."

"DA is good, and so is the idea of some sort of soldiers," said Ginny, smiling at Ness. "So what about Dumbledore's Army? That is, after all, the ministry's worst fear, isn't it?"

Everyone seemed to think it was a good name, and so, after a vote, we were officially Dumbledore's Army, the DA for short.

"Right," said Harry, once everyone had settled down again, "shall we get practicing then? I was thinking, the first thing we should do is _Expelliarmus_, you know, the Disarming Charm. I know it's pretty basic but I've found it really useful –"

"Oh, please," said Zacharias Smith, rolling his eyes and folding his arms. I groaned – and I reckon everyone else in the room did too. "I don't think _Expelliarmus_ is exactly going to help us against You-Know-Who, do you?"

"I've used it against him," said Harry quietly. "It saved my life in June."

The room was deathly quiet now. Smith just sat there looking stupid.

"But if you think it's beneath you, you can leave," said Harry. "Go on; I won't stop you."

I smiled. It was clear that anger was all Harry needed to get over his nerves. It had been like this in the Hogs Head, as well. It was pretty cool though, to see the control he had over the people in the room, even though he didn't know it.

Nobody even moved an inch.

"Okay," said Harry. "So, basically, I think we should divide into pairs and practice."

Immediately, everyone stood up and found a partner.

"Do you want to be my partner Bella?" asked Hermione, turning to me.

"Aww, but Bella, you promised you would be my partner, remember?" whined Alice, quickly cutting in.

"When was that?" I asked.

"In divination, silly," said Alice. The quietly, she added, "You know we can't pair off with the humans! They'll notice we're different."

I nodded in understanding, and looked at Hermione.

"Sorry," I said. "I would be your partner, It's just that she'll-"

"Bella, it's alright," said Hermione, smiling, although I did detect a bit of disappointment in her eyes. I wonder if she wanted another opportunity to see if we were different… but I didn't see anything else, as she went to partner with Ron.

There was an odd number of people so Harry paired with Neville, although after a while he put Neville with Ron and Hermione – which I thought was a great idea because they had both already mastered the spell and Hermione would be a great help for Neville – while he went and watched the others.

I had to hand it to him – Harry was a great teacher.

It was fairly hard for us. We were all paired together, as Alice had ensured. I was with Alice, obviously; Edward was with Emmett, and Renesmee and Jake were together, as they were closer in relation to how powerful their spells were.

When we cast the spell at each other, it had the same effect as if a human had cast the spell at another human. However, if we missed…

Well, let's just say that we were all _really_ careful with our aim.

After a little while, Harry yelled for us to stop. We did, but none of the humans heard.

Oops.

I quickly glanced at Hermione, but she had her back to us, concentrating on catching Ron's wand. I sighed, relieved that no one had noticed._ Or so I thought.._.

Harry finally got everyone's attention with a whistle he must have found on the shelves. He told us that we had done well and then said to keep going.

"Well, what was the point in stopping us, then?" asked Emmett.

I completely agreed with him. If Hermione had seen us stop when no one else did, what would she have thought?

Oh well, no need to dwell on what didn't happen.

We were stopped again a little while later – thankfully, Harry just went straight to the whistle this time – as it was getting late and we all needed to get back to the common rooms.

"This was such a good idea," said Nessie before she left. "I'm so glad Hermione thought of it!"

"It is, isn't it?" I said. "I'm glad they're all learning how to defend themselves."

"You coming Nessie?" asked Luna, walking up to us.

"Yeah, just a sec," said Nessie. Then she stood on her tip toes and kissed me on the cheek. "Night, Mom," she whispered.

"'Night, Ness," I said. "Night, Luna."

"See you in the morning Bella," said Luna. She gave me a searching look before taking Nessie's arm and walking out the door, Alice (who had been talking to Edward) following closely behind.

"We may have a problem," said Edward from behind me. I spun to face him.

"What do you mean?"

"Hey, Bella!"

"I'll tell you later," said Edward, walking over to talk to Emmett and Jacob as Ron came over to me.

"Hey, Ron."

"Hey Bella, listen; just then, were you watching me? Because I've got this bet going with Fred, you see, and I would really appreciate it if you could just…"

I tuned Ron out and tried to listen to Edward, Emmett and Jake's conversation, But they were speaking so, so quietly… luckily, they had to speak a _little_ louder than their absolute quietest, as Jake could not hear as well as a vampire, so I could just hear snippets.

"… _but if she suspects…"_

"_It could just be a coincidence…"_

" …_we're lucky, right? It's not like it was…"_

"_If Umbridge finds out…_

"…_always happy anyway…"_

"…_a little bit odd…_

"_... I'm sure…"_

"… _all of us…"_

"… _it must have been…"_

"…_fine._"

"… disgusting to Hermione's bloody cat! Bella, are you listening to me?"

"Um, sorry what?"

"Oh, a great help, you are," said Ron, huffing in annoyance. "Look, can you just tell Fred and George that I disarmed Hermione? Hermione's too damn proud to say so herself, they won't believe Harry and Neville will stutter so much they'll think he's lying."

"And did you disarm Hermione?" I asked.

"Of course I did," said Ron indignantly. "But they don't believe me!"

"Okay, okay, I believe you," I said, my eyes following Emmett and Jake's exit.

I didn't even know why I had been so intent on listening to their conversation. I mean, Edward said he'd tell me later and I know he would if it was important. This wasn't like back then; he doesn't keep things from me to protect me any more.

"So, you'll do it?"

"Hmm, what?"

"Oh, you really are hopeless."

"Sorry Ron," I said. "I'm just tired."

"Hmm, you do look tired," said Ron, scrutinizing the shadows below my eyes. They weren't very pronounced; Edward and I had gone hunting on Friday, and it was only Tuesday. But still, they were there.

"But don't worry," I said. "I'll tell them."

"Oh, thank Merlin," sighed Ron. "I was really worried… not that I ever said that, mind you!"

"Of course not," I said, amused.

"And now, Fred owes me three sickles! Yes!"

I laughed. Humans… so excited by the smallest things. But then, I guess vampires are exactly the same. Worse in Emmett and Alice's case, in fact.

Ron was still practically bouncing of the walls when we made it to the common room.

"So," I said, after Harry, Ron, and Hermione had gone up to the dormitories. "What was it that you were going to tell me back in the Room of Requirement?"

"Oh, it was nothing," said Edward.

"Nothing?" I asked, arching an eyebrow. "You seemed pretty stressed about it before."

"I talked about it with Emmett and Jake, and we realized that it was nothing," said Edward.

"Edward," I said, worrying again. "You're not… keeping things from me again, are you?"

"No, of course not," he said, smiling. "It really was nothing, I was just being paranoid, as usual."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes."

"Can't you just tell me what it was anyway?"

"There's no need to worry, Bella, really," he insisted, looking at me intensely. "Now, I think we had better head up to our dormitories, don't you? The others might get suspicious…"

"Alright," I said.

He kissed me, smiled, and then headed up the steps.

I watched him go, thinking.

He was so adamant that it was nothing, but I think - no, I'm sure - he really thought that it _was_ nothing. He had promised not to keep anything like this from me ever again, and I believed that he wouldn't, I really did.

But if it really was nothing, why was he so stressed out when he told me that we had a problem?

* * *

><p><strong>I hope you all enjoyed it.<strong>

**And in the next chapter Rosalie will finally act... ;)  
><strong>


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